Voting ended just before news of US Airstrikes in Iranmost Americans thought that the US should at least pressure or involve the Iranian leadership in some way.
And in the days before the strikes began, there was a movement toward approval of US military action specifically to stop them from developing nuclear weapons; that change came later President Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this week, on February 24.
The result was that the nation entered into the beginning of a conflict that divided it.
The public expressed uncertainty about the group by saying that a conflict with Iran it would stay. More thought it would take months or even years, rather than just days or weeks. Supporters often thought it would be short.
That sets some context as it happens now.
Perceptions of the timing of a possible conflict were strongly related to whether or not Americans said they would support military action: Those who thought the conflict would be quick tended to favor military action (before it began), but those who thought it would take a long time were opposed.
Regarding the Iranian regime, the US is more interested in economic or diplomatic pressure, rather than military force to remove them. Either way, most Americans thought the US should be part of it.
People thought more and more that Congress would need to authorize military action.
The number of Americans who feel that the president has defined the American situation fell slightly State of the Unionbut from the beginning of the act, he was not satisfied with the majority of the American people.
Before the strikes, the president’s approval rating for handling Iran was slightly higher than his overall approval rating, though it’s still not good.
Contextually, in CBS News polls going back decades, Iran or its nuclear power might somehow loom as a threat in the public mind, though often one that many felt could not be contained or talked about nationally. Last summer, when the US conducted airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilitiesopinions were partial, and most Republicans agreed.
The US economy
The economic optimism expressed by the president in the State of the Union did not resonate with many Americans.
Expectations for the next year are for a slow economy, or even a recession, and that has been happening for some time. Overall US ratings the economy keep being negative.
In fact, the vast majority continue to think that the president is making things up with inflation better than they really are.
Before the Iran strikes, Mr. Trump was consistent with what they were just before his State of the Union address. His overall approval rating has been steady in recent weeks, with a point coming just before the State of the Union.
This CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,264 US adults interviewed between February 25-27, 2026. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide in terms of gender, age, race, and education, based on the Census American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 polls. The margin of error is ±2.5 points.
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