Jun 17, 2025 minute read

A large majority of Americans say that the US military should not get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict brewing in the Middle East, a new Economist/YouGov Poll has revealed.

The poll, released on Tuesday, found that 60 percent of Americans said the US military should not get involved in this conflict. An additional 16 percent said yes, while 24 percent were unsure. This was reflected similarly across genders, political parties, and races, with 59 percent of men, 60 percent of women, 65 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of independents, 59 percent of white Americans, 55 percent of black Americans, and 64 percent of Hispanic Americans responding as such.

Respondents were also asked, “What strategy should the US employ to get Iran to limit its nuclear program,” to which 28 percent said Iran should be threatened with stronger economic sanctions, 26 percent said the US should incentivize Iran with the resumption of diplomatic relations, and 24 percent said the US should incentivize the country by easing economic sanctions. The largest response the question got was “not sure,” at 30 percent. 

A little over half of all respondents said that the US should engage in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, at 56 percent, while 18 percent said the US should not negotiate.

The majority of respondents also said that Iran’s nuclear program poses a risk to the United States, with 37 percent saying it posed a “somewhat serious threat” to the country, while 24 percent said it posed an “immediate and serious threat to the US.”

50 percent of Americans considered Iran to be an enemy of the United States, with an additional 25 percent saying that Iran is “unfriendly.”

The poll was conducted between June 13 and 16 of 1,512 US adults and has a margin of error of 3 percent. The poll found that 41 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran, while 37 percent approved. An additional 22 percent had no opinion.