New poll: 58% of voters say the war in Iran is a bad use of taxpayer dollars
61% of Americans, including 1 out of 3 Republicans, say they would oppose the war if it raises gas prices (it has)
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The national average price of a gallon of gasoline has surged 33%, from just under $3 to nearly $4, since the U.S. war against Iran started three weeks ago. As of this writing, oil prices are up 50% to over $100 a barrel. The cost of the war is mounting.
It’s not just gas prices. Today, a reader emailed me a link to a website that estimates the total military cost of the war in real time and puts the price tag at roughly $25 billion in 20 days. (I did a quick Google and found no fewer than five of these sites; my theory is that people are using AI to spin them up quickly. Each site has different numbers, but this one extrapolates from the Pentagon’s briefing to Congress.)
And that number is likely an underestimate! University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers points out that the cost of the war, when measured as the impact on the U.S. economy instead of just in military spending, is not just” in the tens of billions, but the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Support for President Donald Trump’s hastily planned war has been historically low from day one. I wrote last week that the public hadn’t rallied behind the president and probably wouldn’t. Trump’s approval has only sunk since then (though his disapproval has also decreased slightly).
Given the price tag above, many even pro-Trump Americans are now asking if the war is worth the cost. According to our new March Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll (fielded March 16-18, 2026 among 1,530 U.S. adults), a majority of Americans say it’s not. In this special Friday Chart of the Week, I give a sneak peek at next week’s poll release: Voters say the war in Iran is a bad use of taxpayer dollars.
Voters think the war in Iran is a waste of taxpayer money
In our survey, we asked Americans two questions about the war in Iran. First, we asked whether the U.S. military operation in Iran was a good or bad use of taxpayer dollars. A clear majority, 58%, said it was a bad use of taxpayer dollars, while 32% said it was a good one.
The topline numbers are obviously bad for the administration. But the intensity of opposition is striking. 44% of all adults said the war is a “very bad” use of taxpayer dollars — nearly three times the 15% who said “very good.” Among Democrats, 73% said “very bad” while 9% said good. Among independents, 45% said “very bad”— nearly double the 23% total who said good or very good.
And Republican support is soft — certainly softer than on many other policy questions today. While 68% of GOP respondents called the war a good use of taxpayer dollars, only 35% said “very good.” The other 33% — nearly half of Republican supporters — are at “somewhat good.”
So what happens when the cost gets more concrete? That’s what our second question tested.
We also asked whether respondents would support the military action if the war caused gas prices to rise by $1 per gallon (we wrote this question two weeks ago, when the price had only risen a quarter) or more. On that question, 61% said they would oppose the action, compared with 30% who said they would support it.
GOP support after the gas prices question dropped from 68% to 61% and opposition ticked up from 24% to 31%. (Subgroup margins of error are larger than the full-sample MOE, so treat these shifts as directional.)
Historically, public support for U.S. military operations declines over time as casualties and costs mount. This war already started at a historically low baseline, which leaves very little cushion. But with gas prices soaring and the Strait of Hormuz closed, threatening to drive up prices for everyday goods (not just gas) and Americans already anxious about how their government is spending funds, the pressure on the administration is bound to increase.
Elections in America today are first and foremost about economic conditions. Trump won in 2024 largely because voters blamed Biden for high prices. Now he’s chosen to start a war that is making prices worse — and a majority of Americans already say it’s not worth the cost. $5-a-gallon gas is not a political problem he can spin his way out of.
The full March Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll drops Tuesday with additional findings on the war and beyond.
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The bigger question for Republicans right now is, "are you going to continue to vote for reps and senators who do nothing to oppose Trump's really bad and really expensive decisions"?
I get newsletters from multiple Republican senators and they're always touting local events and federal funds they've won for state projects (one was bragging about FEMA funds he had secured for his constituents).
Maybe an upcoming poll could be about the gap (or lack of) between voter disapproval of Trump and how much of that rubs off on the state's senators and reps.
Because those are the elections that matter this year.
Trump and his Lackey of Lethality asked Congress for an extra $200 billion in funding for its "excursion" into Iran. What We, The American People must decide:
$200 billion can fund $2000 in health insurance for 100 million Americans. OR $200 billion can kill a few thousand more Iranians. Who needs the help more? Our TV star, playing Mr. Lethality, playing vicious attack dog for our deranged POTUS or WE the American people.