Public opinion hardens against Iran war as economic concerns persist

• Disapproval toward US military strikes on Iran has increased by 9ppts since March, rising to 65%
• Approval of the way Starmer is handling the war has risen 9ppts since March (though still net negative overall)
• At least 8 in 10 Britons say they’re concerned about impact of US/Israel-Iran conflict on fuel/energy prices (86%) as well as fuel availability (80%)
• Should Strait of Hormuz closure persist, Britons would rather the government take steps to reduce fuel costs (eg 77% support limiting how much petrol companies can raise fuel prices and 68% support cancelling the planned fuel duty increase) rather than restricting people’s driving or shopping behaviours

Economic concern remains high

• As in March, economic anxiety continues to dominate the public mood, with high levels of concern over the impact of the conflict on the price of fuel and energy (86%) and the general UK economy to  (85%).  Indeed, the proportion very concerned about the impact of the conflict on the price of fuel and energy has risen from 49% in March to 57% now.
• 4 in 5 (80%) Britons are concerned about the availability of fuel (gas, petrol, and oil) within the UK.
• Around 3 in 5 are similarly concerned about the availability of wider goods, such as food and toiletries (63%) and medical supplies / medications (61%).

Hardening views against the conflict
The British public’s disapproval of US military strikes against Iran has increased, from 56% in March to 65% now (approval has fallen from 21% to 16%).   Disapproval has increased among 2024 voters for most parties, especially 2024 Reform voters, who are now split in their views on the conflict with 41% approving and 43% disapproving (compared to March when they were more supportive of action by 53% to 25%). Clear majorities of other parties’ 2024 voters disapprove of the action (76% Labour, 57% Conservative, 82% Liberal Democrats and 79% other parties).

Meanwhile support for British military involvement in the conflict has continued to soften, with only 1 in 5 (23%) supporting giving permission for the US to use British bases for such attacks, a decline of 8 points since March, and support for Britain sending troops or weapons even lower.  Instead, 2 in 3 (65%) continue to favour the UK Government using diplomacy to de-escalate the situation.

Leadership: Starmer’s approval ratings improve, while Trump’s decline
Public perception of the Prime Minister and UK Government’s handling of the crisis has seen a notable improvement, though still only a minority:

• 31% of Britons now believe the UK Government is doing a good job handling the conflict, an 11-point increase since March (35% say bad job), with perceptions of Keir Starmer’s performance experiencing a similar bump (30% good job, +9ppts since March, while 40% are critical)
• Conversely, disapproval of US President Donald Trump remains high, increasing 10ppts to 70%, with only 12% believing he is doing a good job, and criticism of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also increased 5ppts to 54%.

Support for Government intervention to ease fuel costs in face of Strait of Hormuz closure, but not for restrictions on driving or shopping behaviours
In the event of continued disruption due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Britons favour financial and regulatory interventions over behavioural restrictions:

• The most popular hypothetical measure in response to the closure was limiting how much petrol companies can increase fuel prices, which was favoured by more than 3 in 4 British adults (77%), followed by cancelling the fuel duty increase scheduled for September (68% support).
• Other more popular measures included issuing more licenses to drill in the North Sea (53%), investing more in renewables (51%), subsidising household energy bills (through increased taxes or public borrowing or reduced public spending elsewhere, at 47%), and mandating working from home for anyone able to do so (51%)
• Least popular measures include rationing purchases of food or personal care items (only 25% support), limiting the frequency of car refuelling (24% support) and limiting the days motorists can use the roads (16% support)

Commenting on the findings, Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said:

Prior to the announcement of a temporary ceasefire, public concern in Britain about the conflict in Iran was reaching a more critical threshold, as it felt less like a distant geopolitical issue and more like a direct threat to British household finances. We see a clear 'cost-of-living' lens being applied, with worry about energy costs intensifying and support for government intervention to cap fuel price increases if the Strait of Hormuz were to remain closed.

Although still only lukewarm, Keir Starmer and the UK Government have seen a clear boost in perceptions of their handling of the crisis, which seems tied to their preference for diplomacy rather than military involvement. In contrast the British public is increasingly out of step with Washington; disapproval of US strikes and criticism of Donald Trump is climbing, and support for the use of British bases is falling.

Notes: 

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,136 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between 3-7 April 2026.  
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.