A new -NORC poll shows 64% of Americans say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, a blunt verdict that lands as the conflict has paused and negotiations are being pursued. Just 33% say it has been worth fighting.
The poll, conducted July 23-27, 2026, found that roughly 3 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling Iran. That number splits sharply along party lines: 61% of Republicans approve, while 96% of Democrats strongly disapprove.
That divide matters because the poll captures public opinion at a moment when the United States and Iran are trying to restart talks for an interim ceasefire deal. Most Americans still say negotiating a permanent ceasefire is an important foreign policy goal of the United States, and 23% say military action should continue, while another 23% say it should stop.
The Republican number is the clearest sign of movement. Approval of Trump’s handling of Iran fell to 61% from 71% in June, a 10-point drop in a matter of weeks. The poll does not spell out exactly which events pushed it lower, but the direction is unmistakable: support is still solid inside the party, yet less firm than it was before.
That leaves the public in an uneasy middle. Three in 10 say the United States should pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations, while 24% say they do not know enough to have an opinion. The cost of gas is also weighing on Americans, with 40% calling it a major source of stress and 39% calling it a minor one.
-NORC surveyed 1,165 adults nationwide from July 23-27, 2026, with an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The numbers suggest a country that wants the fighting to end, even as Trump keeps enough Republican support to avoid a full rupture — for now.
