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According to a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist survey, a significant portion of the American public is against the continuation of U.S. military operations in Iran. This sentiment persists despite President Trump’s firm commitment to maintain military pressure until the Iranian government concedes. The poll, published on Friday, reveals that 56% of Americans either oppose or strongly oppose such military actions, as opposed to 44% who are in favor. Only a negligible fraction of respondents, less than 1%, were undecided.
This division in opinion mirrors results from a similar survey conducted in January, during a period when potential strikes were a topic of intense discussion. The consistency in public sentiment suggests a stable opposition to military engagement in the region over time.
Predictably, political affiliation plays a significant role in these perspectives. The poll indicates that a substantial 54% of Democrats strongly oppose military actions, while only 7% of Republicans share this view. Independents are also skeptical, with 31% expressing strong opposition.
These findings echo those from an NBC News survey conducted earlier in the week. That poll revealed that 54% of voters disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the situation with Iran, while 41% approve. A small margin of 5% of those surveyed either remained unsure or did not express a definitive opinion. Such consistent polling results highlight a clear divide in public opinion regarding U.S. military involvement in Iran.
The findings resemble the sentiment expressed in an NBC News poll earlier this week, which found that 54% of voters disapproved of how Trump was handling the conflict with Iran, versus 41% who approved. 5% of respondents were unsure or said they had no opinion.
Trump has appeared unfazed by waning popularity for his military operation, telling the New York Post on Monday, “I don’t care about polling.”
The president declared that Iran would be “hit very hard” on Saturday, one week after the initial launch of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that hit military, nuclear and leadership targets, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound.
“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time,” Trump wrote in an early morning post on Truth Social.
Trump administration officials have justified the strikes against Tehran by claiming the country posed an imminent nuclear threat to the U.S., despite skepticism from some experts and lawmakers.
The Friday poll found that Americans largely agree with the notion that Iran poses a threat to national security, but to varying degrees.
While more than 80% of respondents said they view Iran as a threat to the U.S., less than half perceived the country as a “major” threat, according to the survey. An additional 40% said Iran was a “minor” threat and 15% said Iran was no threat.
Trump’s rationale for engaging in military strikes has been a point of contention on Capitol Hill for weeks as lawmakers debate whether the president is constitutionally allowed to continue the war without congressional approval.
Republicans have so far beat back attempts to rein in Trump’s authority, defeating a pair of War Powers resolutions in back-to-back votes this week.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll was conducted from March 2-4 among 1,591 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points for all adults and 3 percentage points for only registered voters.