The U.S.'s war with Iran remains unpopular

A majority of Americans oppose the U.S. war with Iran, and most oppose sending U.S. ground troops there, according to the latest Economist / YouGov Poll.

34% of Americans strongly or somewhat support the war, and 53% oppose it. Almost all Democrats oppose the war (9% support it and 84% oppose it), as do a majority of Independents (24% vs. 57%), but most Republicans support it (67% vs. 21%).

Americans who say gas prices near them are going up a lot are more likely to oppose the war than are those who say gas prices are going up a little and those who say prices are not going up (65% vs. 38% vs. 30%).

Last week, we highlighted a sharp drop in support for the Iran war among Republicans who say they're not MAGA supporters. This week's survey found support for the war among non-MAGA Republicans rebounding to 54%, from 33% last week.

These shifts could reflect actual swings in opinion as well as survey variation among a relatively small subgroup: about 10% of U.S. adult citizens.

62% of Americans say gas prices are going up a lot where they live, while 24% say they're going up a little and 6% say they're not changing or going down a lot. Those who say local gas prices are up a lot are much less likely to support the war than are those who say gas prices are up a little. This gap in support exists among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.

Only 15% of Americans say they favor the U.S. sending ground troops into Iran, while 62% oppose this and 24% aren't sure. There is less support than opposition for sending ground troops among Democrats (4% vs. 86%), Independents (8% vs. 63%), and Republicans (31% vs. 39%). Republicans who identify as MAGA supporters are more likely to support than oppose sending ground troops (41% vs. 31%).

Americans who say they strongly support the war with Iran favor sending in ground troops by a two-to-one margin (46% favor it and 23% oppose it), while favorability for sending in group troops is lower among those who somewhat support the war (26% vs. 42%), somewhat oppose it (8% vs. 76%), and strongly oppose it (1% vs. 93%).

58% of Americans say they either don't understand Trump's objectives in Iran very well (23%) or don't understand them at all (34%). Another 26% say they understand Trump's objectives somewhat well. Only 17% say they understand them very well, including 6% of Democrats, 15% of Independents, and 29% of Republicans. 70% of Republicans say they understand Trump's motivations at least somewhat well, compared to 34% of Independents and 22% of Democrats.

Image: Getty (Majid Saeedi / Stringer)

What do you really think about President Trump, American politics in general, and everything else? Share your reality, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.