But other surveys suggest that perceived problem might not rank particularly high.
Pew Research Center polling last year showed many more Americans felt China (64%) and Russia (59%) were major military threats than Iran (42%).
Pew data last year also found only 37% of Americans said limiting Iran’s power and influence should be a “top priority.” It ranked lower than limiting Russia and China’s power and about the same as North Korea’s – while also falling below limiting climate change.
And back in 2020, just 14% of Americans thought Iran was such a threat that it required immediate military action, according to a CBS News poll conducted by SSRS. A huge majority felt it was a threat that could be contained (64%), while 17% said it wasn’t a threat.
All of these numbers could change if Trump goes down the path toward the US hitting Iran. He has shown an ability to get Republicans, in particular, to buy into pretty much whatever he says. (Though some prominent conservative voices like Tucker Carlson have strongly rejected the idea of strikes, meaning there could even be some resistance there). Anyway, it’s likely we’d see these numbers polarize.
But US intelligence assessments had concluded that not only was Iran not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon — in contrast to Israeli warnings — but that it was also up to three years from being able to produce and deliver one to a target, CNN reported Tuesday.
Trump’s history with Iran also looms here. In 2020, he launched a controversial strike that killed a top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani. And polling often showed people leaned in favor of the strike.
But polling also showed Americans said by double digits that the strike made us less safe domestically. And a CNN poll at the time showed Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of the situation with Iran also by double digits, 53-42%.
All of which indicates Americans are concerned about blowback and don’t have a particularly high degree of faith in Trump’s Iran policies.
The sum total of the data suggest that, while Americans are concerned about the prospect of Iran getting a nuclear weapon, they don’t necessarily view it as an immediate problem necessitating the use of the US military. If someone asks you if you are worried about a nuclear foreign country, of course that sounds scary. You might even sign off on a hypothetical in which US military might be needed to combat that threat you fear.
But it doesn’t mean you think that’s imminent enough to warrant putting US servicemembers in harm’s way and setting off a major Middle Eastern war, today.
And there’s plenty of reason to believe Trump could – or at least should – approach this idea cautiously.
The post As Trump considers US strikes on Iran, polls suggest Americans may not be into it appeared first on CNN.
