Americans Reject Strikes on Iran; Israelis Favor Action
Surveys show 77% of Americans say strikes on Iran were wrong, while 59% of Israelis say ending the Iran war now would harm national security.
Surveys conducted in late April expose a sharp divide between public opinion in the United States and Israel over recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A Generation Lab poll found 77% of American respondents said the strikes were wrong, while an Israel Democracy Institute survey reported 59% of Israelis said ending the Iran war under current conditions would be incompatible with national security.
The Israel Democracy Institute’s Viterbi Family Center surveyed 751 Israelis between April 26 and April 30, including 601 Jewish and 150 Arab respondents. Overall, 59% said ending the Iran war under current conditions would be incompatible with Israel’s security interests. About two-thirds of Jewish respondents held that view, while nearly half of Arab respondents took the opposite position. The institute noted the majority against ending the war among Jewish voters was present across political camps, highest in the Center at 70% and 65% on the Right, and slightly above one-half on the Left.
The institute’s report reads: “In all three political camps (Jews), the majority think that ending the war is not in Israel’s security interests. This majority is largest in the Center (70%) and on the Right (65%), while on the Left it is only just over one-half.”
The Israel survey also recorded a rising perception of American influence over Israeli defense decisions. The share of respondents who said the United States has greater influence over Israel’s defense rose from 44% to 51% over six months; among Jewish respondents that figure increased from 45% to 56.5%.
A separate Generation Lab survey of American attitudes recorded strong disapproval of President Donald Trump’s decision to order military strikes against Iran. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said the strikes were wrong. Opposition was highest among younger adults, with 80% of those aged 18–24 and 73% of respondents aged 30–34 expressing disapproval. The poll also found 55% of respondents strongly disapprove of the president’s handling of US military action against Iran, with the highest levels of strong disapproval in the 18–24 age group.
Economic effects tied to the conflict, which began on February 28, have been marked by sharp price moves across multiple commodities. Reported increases since the start of the conflict include jet fuel up about 80%, sulfur up 68%, West Texas Intermediate crude up 58%, Brent crude up 57%, European natural gas up 52%, and diesel and gasoline each up roughly 50%. Fertilizer prices rose about 26%, urea fertilizer roughly doubled since February, and food and beverage inflation accelerated to 7.9% year over year in March. Rising jet fuel prices have affected the aviation sector, contributing to flight cancellations and higher ticket prices.
The surveys were released amid continued market volatility and public debate over the strategic consequences of strikes on Iran. Poll responses show contrasting public assessments in the two countries: a majority of Israelis favor continuing pressure or military measures on security grounds, while a large plurality of Americans disapprove of the strikes and of the administration’s handling of the situation.
