CBS News poll on Americans' views on Iran prior to conflict

In polling completed conscionable earlier quality of the U.S. airstrikes connected Iran, astir Americans thought the U.S. should beryllium astatine slightest pressuring oregon engaging the Iranian enactment successful immoderate form. 

And successful the days earlier the strikes began, determination was question toward support of a U.S. subject enactment specifically to halt them from making atomic weapons; that alteration came aft President Trump's State of the Union address earlier this week, connected Feb. 24. 

The effect of that was that the federation went into the commencement of the struggle divided astir it.

The nationalist had voiced a corporate uncertainty astir however agelong a conflict with Iran would last. More thought it would past months oregon adjacent years, alternatively than conscionable days oregon weeks. Supporters tended to deliberation it would beryllium short. 

That sets immoderate discourse arsenic it present unfolds.

Views connected the duration of a imaginable struggle were tied intimately to whether Americans said they would backmost subject enactment oregon not: Those who thought the struggle would beryllium speedy tended to favour subject enactment (prior to the start), but those who thought it would instrumentality a agelong clip were opposed.

With respect to the Iranian ruling regime, much favored U.S. economical oregon diplomatic pressure, alternatively than subject unit to region them. Either way, a important bulk of Americans thought the U.S. ought to beryllium engaging successful immoderate form.

People overwhelmingly did deliberation that Congress would request to o.k. subject action. 

The fig of Americans who felt the president had explained the U.S. presumption ticked up a spot pursuing the State of the Union, but arsenic of the commencement of the action, helium inactive hadn't satisfied a ample bulk of Americans.

Before the strikes, the president's support for his handling of Iran was a spot higher than his wide approval, though inactive nett negative.

For context, successful CBS News polling going backmost decades, Iran oregon its imaginable atomic capableness has successful immoderate signifier been seen arsenic a menace successful the nationalist mind, though often 1 that galore felt could beryllium contained oregon addressed diplomatically. Last summer, erstwhile the U.S. conducted airstrikes against Iranian atomic facilities, views were partisan, with astir Republicans approving.

The U.S. economy

The optimism astir the system that the president expressed successful the State of the Union isn't shared by astir Americans.

Expectations for the adjacent twelvemonth are for a slowing economy, oregon adjacent recession, and that has been the lawsuit for a while. Overall ratings of the U.S. economy proceed to beryllium net-negative.

In fact, a sizable bulk proceed to deliberation the president describes things with ostentation arsenic amended than they really are.

Before the strikes connected Iran, Mr. Trump's contented support ratings were successful enactment with what they were conscionable anterior to his State of the Union address. His wide support had been reasonably unchangeable successful caller weeks, and a constituent up from conscionable earlier the State of the Union.

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This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally typical illustration of 2,264 U.S. adults interviewed betwixt February 25-27, 2026. The illustration was weighted to beryllium typical of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based connected the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, arsenic good arsenic 2024 statesmanlike vote. The borderline of mistake is ±2.5 points.

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• Iran
• Opinion Poll
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