Political Research Report: Collaborative Analysis and Contributors

A new analysis from the Pew Research Center released on May 1, 2026, reveals significant public dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s handling of a military conflict with Iran, which has been ongoing for approximately two months.

The data, gathered from 5,103 U.S. Adults between April 20 and April 26, 2026, indicates that 62% of Americans disapprove of the administration’s management of the military action. This figure includes 45% who strongly disapprove. Conversely, 36% of respondents approve of the president’s approach.

Public Perception of Military Action

The survey finds that a majority of the public questions the decision to employ military force. Specifically, 59% of Americans state that the U.S. Made the wrong decision in using military force in Iran, while 38% believe it was the right decision.

Public confidence in the progress of the operation has declined over the last month. Currently, 51% of respondents say the military action is going not too or not at all well, an increase from 45% in the previous month. Only 22% of those surveyed describe the action as going extremely or very well.

Clarity of Administration Goals

The Pew Research Center report highlights a lack of clarity regarding the administration’s objectives in the conflict. Nearly half of the respondents, 48%, say the administration’s goals are not too or not at all clear. In contrast, 24% describe the goals as extremely or very clear, while 15% find them somewhat clear and 12% remain unsure.

This uncertainty extends to the likelihood of success. Approximately 49% of Americans report they are not too or not at all confident that the administration will achieve its goals in the conflict, while 22% express extreme or very high confidence.

Partisan Divide in Evaluations

The findings underscore a deep partisan divide in how the conflict is perceived. Democrats are roughly three times as likely as Republicans to view the military action as going not too or not at all well, with 76% of Democrats compared to 26% of Republicans.

Approval of President Trump’s handling of the situation also varies sharply by party affiliation:

• Two-thirds of Republicans approve of the president’s handling, though 32% disapprove.
• Nine-in-ten Democrats disapprove of the handling, with only 9% expressing approval.
• Among Democrats, 76% strongly disapprove, which is roughly twice the rate of Republicans who strongly approve (36%).

The divide is further evident in the perception of the administration’s goals, with 73% of Democrats stating that the goals of the conflict are not too or not at all clear.

Methodology and Research Team

The research was conducted using Wave 192 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. Adults. Out of 5,898 sampled individuals, 5,103 responded, resulting in a survey-level response rate of 87%.

The report was a collaborative effort involving a research team led by Director of Political Research Jocelyn Kiley, Associate Director Steven Shepard, and Senior Researchers Hannah Hartig and Baxter Oliphant. Additional contributions were made by Research Associate Gabe Borelli, Research Associate Andrew Daniller, and Research Analysts Andy Cerda and Ted Van Green, with analysis support from Shanay Gracia.