Americans are more likely to oppose than to support the U.S. using military force to attack Iran or to overthrow its leader, though a majority think military action against Iran is likely in the next month. About half of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of the situation in Iran. A majority of Americans are unsure what the outcome of protests in the country will be.
What you need to know about Americans' views on Iran, as of the February 20 - 23, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- About half (49%) of Americans somewhat or strongly oppose the U.S. using military force to attack Iran. About one-quarter (27%) support such an attack
- A majority (58%) of Republicans support such an attack. Majorities of Democrats (76%) and Independents (54%) oppose
- There is less opposition to the U.S. using military force to overthrow Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei: 39% of Americans oppose using military force to do so, while 29% support it
- A majority (57%) of Republicans support using the military for such an overthrow while only 18% oppose it. A majority (62%) of Democrats oppose it while only 10% support it. Independents' views are more divided: 22% support and 38% oppose
- A majority (58%) of Americans think the U.S. is at least somewhat likely to take military action against Iran in the next month, though only 18% say such action is very likely. 11% say U.S. military action against Iran is not very likely or not likely at all
- There is little partisan polarization on this question: Majorities of Democrats (61%), Independents (53%), and Republicans (61%) say military action against Iran is somewhat or very likely in the next month
- More Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation in Iran than approve of it (48% vs. 31%)
- Majorities of Democrats (79%) and Independents (53%) disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran. Most Republicans (68%) approve of it and only 12% disapprove
- A majority (55%) of Americans say they're not sure whether protests in Iran will lead to the overthrow of the country's government. 13% of Americans say the protests will succeed in overthrowing the government while 31% say they will not succeed
- Americans have become a bit less likely to think that Iran's protests would overthrow its government since the beginning of February, when 18% of Americans thought the protesters would succeed. and 51% weren't sure
Image: Getty (Majid Saeedi / Stringer)
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