More than half of Americans oppose U.S. military action against Iran, about three-quarters say they object to putting boots on the ground in the Middle Eastern country, and roughly three-quarters say they think the war will last months or longer, according to a March 9 poll from Quinnipiac University.
The poll surveyed 1,002 U.S. voters March 6-8 and found that support for the war and President Donald Trump falls largely along party lines. Overall, 53% percent of voters oppose the war and 40 percent support it. However, just seven percent of Democrats approve of taking military action against Iran, compared with 85% of Republicans.
Seventy-four percent of voters oppose sending ground troops into Iran, a view that 20% of voters supported. Ninety-five percent of Democrats and 52% of Republicans opposed sending troops to Iran.
Support for the war correlated with voters’ views on whether Iran posed an imminent military threat to the U.S. before military action occurred. Fifty-five percent said Iran was not an imminent threat, while 30% said it was. Eighty-three percent of Democrats did not believe Iran was a threat, but 74% of Republicans did. However, a majority of voters say Iran poses a threat now that the war has begun, as 77% say a terrorist attack in the U.S. in response to the war is very or somewhat likely.
The poll also found that 48% of voters say the killings of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other Iranian leaders were justified, while 43% said they were not.
Sixty-two percent of voters said Trump has not provided clear reasoning for the military action against Iran. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say that the president gave a clear reason for the war. Ninety-five percent of Democrats said no clear explanation was given, while 75% of Republicans said Trump explained the war’s motives clearly. Fifty-nine percent of voters said Congress should have approved the war before it began, but 38% said Trump did not need congressional permission before taking military action.
Despite conflicting views on the war, the poll found that Trump’s overall job approval is “essentially unchanged” from ratings given in early February before the conflict broke out. Thirty-seven percent of voters said they think Trump is handling the presidency well, and 57% disapproved of his job performance.
When asked about his role as Commander in Chief, 42% said they approve of his performance and 55% said they disapprove. The economy was Trump’s worst rating: just 37% said he is handling it well, compared with 58% who said he is not.
The poll found that 44% of voters think the U.S is too supportive of Israel, the highest percentage Quinnipiac has ever recorded for the question. However, 44% think U.S. support is about right.
The poll also asked voters to estimate how long the war will last. Three percent said it would be over in days; 18% said weeks; 32% said months; 13% said one year; and 26% said longer. Forty-four percent said it is very or somewhat likely that Iran will form a new government favorable to the U.S., while 49% say that is unlikely.