Most Americans want Iran war ended quickly, oppose ground troops: Polls

A majority of Americans want the war against Iran brought to a swift close and strongly oppose sending ground troops, according to three major polls, as the US-Israeli offensive enters its second month.

Reuters/Ipsos found that 66% of Americans favor an expedited end to the war, even if objectives are not fully met, while an Economist/YouGov survey put overall opposition to the war at 59%, with 28% in support. An AP-NORC poll found 60% believe US military action has already gone too far.

Opposition to ground deployment is even more pronounced. Across the three polls, between 62% and 76% of respondents opposed sending American soldiers into Iran, with 86% in the Ipsos survey expressing concern about the risk to military lives.

Economic anxiety is a driving force behind the war-weariness. Some 67% of AP-NORC respondents rated preventing gas price increases as a priority, more than twice the share that prioritized regime change in Iran, 33%. Nearly 77% in the Ipsos poll said they were concerned about the war's overall financial cost.

Support breaks sharply along partisan lines. Democrats oppose the war by margins of 88-90%, while 62% of Republicans broadly back it. But support among non-MAGA Republicans has collapsed from 56% to 33% in just two weeks, compared to 79% among self-identified MAGA Republicans, according to an Economist/YouGov poll. MAGA, or Make America Great Again, is a slogan US President Trump used in his presidential runs.

Public skepticism runs deep on diplomacy and outcomes. Some 46% of respondents in the Economist/YouGov poll do not believe peace negotiations are taking place, 59% think a settlement within a month is unlikely, and just 30% approve of Trump's handling of the conflict.

Despite the opposition, 65% in the AP-NORC survey still consider preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon extremely important.

The US and Israel have conducted strikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.