Nearly 70 Percent of Americans Say US-Israel War on Iran Not Worth Fighting, New Poll Finds

A fresh nationwide survey has revealed deepening public skepticism in the United States over the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, with roughly seven in ten adults concluding that the conflict has not been worth the cost. The poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and released on Thursday, marks a notable five-point increase from a similar survey taken in July, suggesting that opposition to the war has grown steadily as the conflict has dragged on.

According to the survey, 69 percent of American adults now say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, while an even larger share — 71 percent — disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling the situation with Iran. The findings paint a picture of a public that has grown increasingly wary of military engagement abroad and dissatisfied with the direction of the administration's foreign policy.

The poll surveyed more than 2,000 adults across the United States, providing a broad snapshot of national sentiment at a critical political moment. The results come as Trump prepares to hit the campaign trail ahead of the midterm elections, beginning with stops in Texas and Oklahoma in what is widely seen as an effort to energize the Republican base. Yet the survey suggests that voter anxiety over the war and its economic consequences could complicate that effort.

Beyond the war itself, the data exposes widespread frustration with the president's stewardship of the domestic economy. Only 17 percent of those polled said they approved of how Trump is handling the cost of living, a strikingly low figure that underscores how much kitchen-table financial concerns are weighing on the public. Just 26 percent approved of his overall handling of the economy — a new low for the president in AP-NORC polling.

The survey also found that public concern over fuel costs has surged sharply. About half of respondents now say they are deeply worried about being able to afford to fill their gas tanks, up from 39 percent in July. A similar proportion — roughly half — expressed significant concern about their ability to put food on the table, highlighting how the economic fallout from the war is being felt in everyday household budgets across the country.

The war's mounting economic consequences appear to be a central driver of the public's souring mood. With energy prices rising and broader inflationary pressures persisting, many Americans are connecting the conflict abroad to the financial strain they feel at home. The survey results suggest that this linkage is becoming a potent political liability for the administration as it seeks to make its case to voters.

Interestingly, the poll revealed a partisan split in how Americans interpret the economic pain. Among Republicans surveyed, two-thirds said that higher-than-usual prices stem from factors beyond Trump's control, while roughly one-third acknowledged that the president's own policies are directly responsible. Even within the GOP, however, the data hints at unease, with some Republicans faulting the president for failing to deliver the relief he promised.

Overall, more than half of all adult respondents said the national economy and the country as a whole are worse off since Trump returned to office in 2025. That grim assessment reflects a broader sense of malaise that extends beyond any single issue, touching on concerns about national direction, economic management, and the costs of overseas military entanglements.

The president himself has pushed back aggressively against the polling. In an interview with TIME magazine published on Thursday, Trump was asked whether the deeply unpopular war could threaten his party's chances in November. He initially conceded, "It's possible," before quickly adding that the conflict "should help, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon." He then dismissed the negative survey numbers outright, declaring that "pollsters are corrupt" and that the bad polls "are fake," while insisting he would defeat any current challenger "by 20 points."

Such dismissals of polling data have become a familiar feature of Trump's public commentary, but they stand in contrast to the consistency of the AP-NORC findings and other recent surveys showing the president's approval ratings under pressure. The disconnect between the White House's confidence and the public's evident discontent sets up a contentious midterm campaign season in which the war and the economy are likely to dominate debate.

The survey's release also coincides with a series of related developments that have kept Iran and the broader region in the headlines. Recent stories have covered US sanctions on entities accused of supporting Iran's military, questions about whether Tehran is losing leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon's announcement that the US troop withdrawal from Iraq is complete. Together, these threads illustrate how deeply the Iran conflict has reshaped American foreign policy and global energy dynamics.

For the administration, the political math is daunting. With only about a quarter of Americans approving of the president's economic stewardship and an even smaller share backing his handling of living costs, Republican candidates in competitive races may find themselves distancing from the White House's record. The war, once framed as a necessary measure to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, is increasingly being viewed by voters through the lens of its domestic costs — higher gas prices, pricier groceries, and a general sense of economic insecurity.

The five-point jump in opposition to the war since July indicates that this skepticism is not static but deepening. As the conflict continues without a clear resolution, and as economic pressures persist, the gap between the administration's rationale for the war and the public's perception of its value appears to be widening. That gap could prove decisive in November, when voters will render their own verdict on a war that most Americans now say was not worth fighting.