Most Americans say President Trump has not clearly explained U.S. goals in Iran
Washington, D.C., March 9, 2026 – A new Ipsos poll conducted March 6–9 finds that more Americans continue to disapprove than approve of U.S. military strikes against Iran amid questions about the clarity of U.S. goals, the expected duration of the conflict, and concerns about the financial impacts in the U.S.
Overall, 29% say they approve of U.S. strikes, compared with 43% who disapprove; 26% say they are unsure. Views are similar to those measured in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the first days of the conflict.
Just 33% say President Donald Trump has clearly explained the goals of U.S. military action in Iran, while 64% say the administration has not explained the objectives clearly. As the conflict enters its second week, Americans are much more likely to think U.S. military involvement in Iran will go on for an “extended period of time” (60%) rather than “end pretty quickly in a matter of weeks” (36%).
Many Americans expect the conflict to have an economic impact in the U.S. Two-thirds (67%) think gas prices will get worse over the next year as a result of U.S. military action in Iran. More broadly, 49% think the conflict will have a mostly negative impact on their own personal financial situation.
The potential benefits of U.S. military intervention in Iran are not entirely clear to Americans at this stage of the conflict. More say U.S. actions will make the security of the country worse (42%) than say it will improve U.S. security (29%) over the long run. Views also tilt negative when it comes to how U.S. military action will impact stability in the Middle East and the quality of life for the people of Iran.
There is widespread concern about risks to U.S. service members. A large majority say they are very (54%) or somewhat (31%) concerned about risks to the lives of American military personnel. A large majority also express concerns about the financial costs of U.S. military action in Iran (73% very/somewhat concerned).
About the Study
This Ipsos poll was conducted March 6-9, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,021 general population adults aged 18 or older.
The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, 2024 vote choice and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a midyear adjustment estimated across aggregated KnowledgePanel surveys accounting for changes in panelists’ party identification over time. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- 2024 Vote Choice (Trump, Harris, Another candidate, Did not vote)
- Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.23. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Alec Tyson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
About Ipsos
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