Across months of the Iran conflict, the American public continues to express three main ideas. Today, as fighting escalates again, most Americans pick "uncertain" and "frustrated" as the top ways to describe their personal feelings about the situation. Either way, now most are expecting the conflict to take months or even years longer, with a big majority saying it has been harder than the Trump administration anticipated.
The public's expressed goals have been consistent throughout this period. It remains important to most Americans to open the Strait of Hormuz, especially as gas prices rise back home, to stop Iran's nuclear program, and to stop Iran from threatening the region. But that does not mean people think it will be easy, and most suspect the conflict will last months or even years longer. Given that, a preference for ending the war — as opposed to pressing for more concessions from Iran — remains the majority view. For the one-third who do want the U.S. to press on for more concessions from Iran, the goals listed above are especially important.
Here is part of what drives that uncertainty: people still do not feel they are getting an understanding of what is happening day to day in the Strait of Hormuz, a feeling that has not abated over months and weeks. And to most, President Trump is not helping on that search for clarity in the public, as most feel Mr. Trump makes things sound better than they are.
On balance, perceptions of how the war is going have ticked down through the course of it. Perceptions of who has the advantage at the moment remain mixed, at best, with many still saying neither side, and a few more saying the U.S. has the advantage now than in May. Against that backdrop, approval of the action overall remains stable, and net negative.
Meanwhile, things in the U.S. look much the same as they have lately — not a lot better and not a lot worse. The World Cup did, on balance, make some people feel better about the country for a while, they said. However, for a large majority, incomes still are not keeping up with inflation. Most say the president's focus is not enough on lowering prices, and also too much on still-unpopular tariffs, as well as too much on making changes to buildings in D.C.
Half the country says gas prices are difficult or a hardship, though that number is a bit off its highs now. But the connection to the conflict remains, as those who are more negatively impacted especially disapprove of the military action. Similarly, views on the economy continue to be majority bad, as they have been for many years, but they remain fairly stable over recent weeks and are off their most recent lows. Looking ahead, those who say their income is not keeping up with inflation are overwhelmingly opposed to new tariffs.
The president's approval rating on Iran remains about where it has been, and is still lower than his approval rating overall. That overall approval is also in the range of where it has been for months and has ticked up a point since June. Through it all, the public does not necessarily see answers on Iran across the political aisle, either. Democrats do not have a perceived edge on an approach to Iran in comparison with Trump and the Republicans. Furthermore, the people who think neither side does or are not sure are feeling even more uncertain about the conflict than the public overall.
This survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,193 U.S. adults interviewed between July 22-24, 2026. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as the 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.7 points.
