While overwhelmingly supporting a swift conclusion to the war with Iran, and largely opposing US military action to begin with, the vast majority of Americans view it as important to ensure the freedom of the Iranian people, to permanently stop the regime’s nuclear program, and to prevent Tehran from threatening other countries.
The findings come as part of a CBS poll published on Sunday. The survey, conducted from Tuesday through Friday of last week, questioned 3,335 American adults representative of the US population.
According to the poll, 92% of Americans believe it's important for the conflict to end as quickly as possible. Four in five said it was important to make sure the Iranian people were safe and free.
A total of 73% said it was important for the US to permanently end the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, and 68% said it was important to stop Iran from posing a threat to other countries.
Additionally, just over half of respondents (53%) said it would be unacceptable to end the war with the Iranian regime still in power.
Nevertheless, Americans have reservations about the war, and most oppose it. On March 3, 56% opposed the war, according to CBS. That number rose to 60% in the recent round of polling. In contrast, 44% approved on March 3, down from 40%. Moreover, some two-thirds of respondents felt the war was a “war of choice” while 34% said it was a war of necessity.
Also, a large majority felt US President Donald Trump’s administration has not clearly explained the US’s goals in the conflict. In fact, the number of people who felt that the goals of the war fell over time.
On March 3, 38% felt the war’s goals had been clearly explained, CBS found. When the poll was conducted, that number fell to 32%.
On Friday, in a Truth Social post, Trump noted five goals the US has in the war.
First, to wholly degrade Iranian missile capabilities; second, destroy Iran's defense industrial base; third, dismantle Iran's navy, air force, and air defenses; fourth, prevent Iran from nearing nuclear capability; and fifth, protect the US's Middle Eastern allies. Trump wrote the US was “getting very close” to achieving these goals.
Furthermore, the survey respondents also, by a narrow majority, felt that the US sending ground troops into Iran would not be necessary.
Americans believe war with Iran will make US less safe
The polling also suggested that the portion of Americans who believe that war with Iran will make the US unsafe in both the short and long-term futures is larger than the portion of Americans who believe it will make the US safe in in both the short and long-term futures.
Only 27% said they thought the war would make the US safer in the short term. That figure rose to 36% when asked about the long term. In contrast, 49% said the war would make Americans less safe in the short term. That number fell to 42% when asked about the long term. The remaining respondents said it would make no difference.
According to the CBS poll, Americans also expressed a range of opinions regarding how much longer the war may last. Some 19% said it would continue for either days or weeks. Another 37% said it would last for months, and 14% thought it would last for years. The remaining 30% were unsure.
Notably, the previously mentioned questions about Americans’ perceptions of the war with Iran did not include a “don’t know” or “unsure” option, potentially forcing respondents to respond with a degree of certainty they did not feel.
The polling also emphasized that the base of support for the war had come from Republicans, with MAGA Republicans in particular supporting US military action against Iran.
While Democrats and Independents overwhelmingly opposed the war, 84% of Republicans supported the US military action. That number rose to 92% among MAGA Republicans.