A new CBS News/YouGov poll found 78% of Americans want the conflict in Iran to end. That number may have been what encouraged President Trump to make concessions in his agreement with Iran. His gambit may not pay off for the poll also found many Americans don’t believe the conflict was successful or worth the costs. Relatively few Americans believe the U.S. got the better end of the agreement.
By The Numbers:
Sixty-nine percent of Americans said the Iran war was not worth the costs for the United States, compared to 31% of those who said it was worth the costs. Only 22% said the agreement is better for the U.S., while 37% said it is better for Iran and 41% said it is about equal. Only 39% of Republicans said the agreement is better for the U.S.
Only 37% of Americans said the conflict was successful for the U.S. in terms of military operations; just 29% said it was successful in terms of strategic interests, and only 28% said it was successful in terms of economic interests. Thirty-eight percent of Americans said the conflict was unsuccessful for the U.S. in terms of military operations; 45% said it was unsuccessful in terms of strategic interests, and 47% said it was unsuccessful in terms of economic interests.
Sixty-nine percent of Americans said the U.S. has not stopped Iran’s nuclear program; 68% said Iran has not been stopped from threatening other countries; 74% said Iran’s people have not been made free and safe, and 79% said Iran’s leadership hasn’t been made more pro-American. Most Americans (66%) said the agreement came about mainly because the Trump Administration wants the conflict to be over, while only 34% said it was because the U.S. met its goals.
The Bottom Line: No president should fight or conclude a war because polls turn south, especially when a majority of Americans are unclear or doubtful that the U.S. ended up in a stronger position after the war.
