Majority Opposes War With Iran, Plurality Thinks Israel Has Too Much Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy
Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, Demand Progress and IMEU Policy Project released a poll showing that voters of all stripes believe a war with Iran benefits Israel more than it benefits the U.S. The online poll of 1,251 U.S. likely voters nationally was conducted by Data for Progress from March 6 to 8, 2026. The poll found that:
- Overall, 56 percent of voters think a war with Iran benefits Israel more, compared to only 29 percent who think it benefits the U.S. more.
- 67 percent of Democrats think a war with Iran benefits Israel more, versus 19 percent who think it benefits the U.S. more.
- 56 percent of Independents think a war with Iran benefits Israel more, versus 24 percent who think it benefits the U.S. more.
- A surprising 47 percent of Republicans think a war with Iran benefits Israel more, compared to only 42 percent who think it benefits the U.S. more.
Read the poll’s topline results here and the crosstabs here.
“The American public does not want another war in the Middle East. People see billions of taxpayer dollars being poured into a war while prices at home keep rising, and the risks of escalation continue to grow. U.S. service members are being killed and injured, and civilian harm is mounting, including strikes that have hit an Iranian school and killed scores of children,” said Cavan Kharrazian, Senior Policy Advisor at Demand Progress. “There is no justification for this open-ended war of choice. The main issue before us now isn’t whether the administration has explained its strategy clearly enough. Calls for more hearings or a clearer ‘plan’ miss the bigger picture; the war must end, full stop. The strategy we can all plainly see is bombing Iran into submission despite little indication that such a goal is achievable, while destroying infrastructure and killing more civilians across the country on an indefinite timeline. Members of Congress should listen to the public, clearly demand an end to this war now, assert their constitutional authority, and ensure not one penny more is spent on this disaster.”
“The American people have paid tens of billions to fund Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and now they are paying tens of billions more for a war that Netanyahu has lobbied for going back decades. The blank checks for Israel were a significant reason why Democrats lost the election in 2024, and Republicans are on the path to suffer the same fate,” said Margaret DeReus, executive director of IMEU Policy Project. “The so-called ‘alliance’ with Israel does not benefit the American people, and it is time for a new chapter where our nation’s leaders hold Israel accountable for its genocidal expansionism and endless aggression.”
OTHER KEY FINDINGS:
1. A majority of voters oppose the war with Iran and support a congressional war powers resolution to rein in the president.
- 53 percent of voters, including 58 percent of Independents, disapprove of Trump’s strikes against Iran, while 43 percent approve, including just 35 percent of Independents.
- 51 percent of voters, including 58 percent of Independents, support Congress passing a war powers resolution to rein in Trump’s military actions against Iran, while 44 percent of voters, and just 38 percent of independents, oppose a war powers resolution.
2. A plurality of voters believe Israel has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy.
- 43 percent of voters say Israel has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy, while 41 percent say the right amount and just 5 percent say too little.
- 59 percent of Democrats say Israel has too much influence and only 22 percent say the right amount.
- 48 percent of Independents say Israel has too much influence, while 36 percent say the right amount and three percent say too little.
3. Voters are less likely to support members of Congress in November as a result of the war with Iran—while younger Republicans continue to drift away from congressional leadership.
- 43 percent of voters say they are less likely to support Republicans in 2026 as a result of Trump’s war, while 31 percent say they are more likely.
- Republican voters are about evenly divided in a primary election between a Republican who would reduce support for Israel and one who prioritizes supporting Israel—with major divisions based on age. 68 percent of Republicans under age 45 would prefer a candidate who would reduce support for Israel, while 56 percent of Republicans over age 45 would prefer a candidate who prioritizes support for Israel.
4. In a general election between Republicans and Democrats with identical views about prioritizing support for Israel, Republicans win. Democrats who shift to saying they will reduce support for Israel win by double-digits.
- In a race between a Democrat and Republican who both prioritize support for Israel identically, the Republican wins by four points. Ten percent of Democratic voters say they would sit out such an election and just three percent of Republicans would vote for the Democrat.
- In a split test, a Democratic candidate who says they would reduce support for Israel wins by 11 points (52-41) over a Republican candidate who prioritizes support for Israel—a 15-point jump for the Democrat. Only one percent of Democrats say they would sit out such an election and 15 percent of Republican voters say they would support the Democrat.