Poll: Foreign Policy
This Navigator Research report covers Americans’ views on using military force, regime change wars, and military strikes against Iran.
Americans Oppose Regime Change Wars
More than three quarters (77%) of Americans, including eight-in-ten independents, say the U.S. should be cautious about using military force abroad, especially when it comes to regime change wars, and instead focus our time and money on priorities at home.
Only 28% said the U.S. should be willing to use its military power abroad, including to topple dictators when necessary, to strengthen U.S. influence and finances. Opposition to using the U.S. military against foreign countries, especially for regime change wars, is high across partisanship, with 88% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 64% of Republicans opposed. Even a majority (55%) of MAGA Republicans say they are opposed to regime change wars.
Overall, opposition has increased since January when we last asked a similar question question. At that time, 72% of Americans favored a cautious approach to using U.S. military force abroad — a five-point shift in just over a month.
Before Strikes Were Launched, Plurality of Americans Were Opposed
Nearly half of Americans (48%) said they opposed a U.S. military strike against Iran prior to the Trump administration’s decision to carry out coordinated strikes with Israel that resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. When asked, nearly one-in-five Americans (19%) were unsure if they support or oppose a military strike.
Trump Focused on the Wrong Priorities
Even before the U.S. military strikes against Iran this weekend, an overwhelming majority of Americans said Trump and Republicans in Congress are most focused on immigration (73%) and foreign conflicts (47%) while they want elected leaders to prioritize lowering inflation and the cost of living (63%). Only one-in-four Americans think Trump and Republicans in Congress are focused on inflation and the cost of living, while even fewer (23%) think he’s focused on jobs and the economy — despite nearly half of Americans seeing those issues as top priorities.
