A recent national survey shows growing voter unease: a record share disapproves of President Trump’s handling of Iran, a majority opposes U.S. military action, and most expect the conflict to drag on at least a year, while immigration and ICE remain divisive issues that cut across party lines.
Voters opposed military action against Iran by a wide margin, with 56% saying they oppose intervention and 40% “strongly” opposed. The breakdown is stark: “More Democrats oppose the war (84%) than Republicans support it (76%).” That gap reflects deep partisan divides on the use of force.
Expectations about the length of the conflict are shifting toward pessimism. Sixty-four percent now think the war will last a year or more, a jump of 13 points since May, and attitudes split along support lines. Among supporters, a majority expect a shorter fight, while 80% of opponents foresee a long-term commitment.
Voters are also skeptical about any diplomatic payoff from the fighting, with roughly half predicting there will be no agreement with Iran. Of the remainder, 27% expect a good deal and 25% a bad one, and views break predictably by party: Democrats are more likely to expect a bad agreement and Republicans are more likely to expect a good one.
Approval of Trump’s handling of Iran sits at 34%, while 66% disapprove, marking his worst standing on this issue to date. His overall job approval remains underwater at 39% approve and 61% disapprove, with 49% reporting they “strongly” disapprove—numbers that tie prior highs for disapproval.
Trump’s coalition still shows intense loyalty in some corners: MAGA Republicans approve at 97% and conservatives at 72%. But support has softened in other groups, with rural voter approval down to 44% and White voter approval slipping to 41%. The biggest movement comes from non-MAGA Republicans, whose approval fell 13 points to 51% after peaking earlier this term.
The president’s economic and inflation ratings are also under water, with 33% approving his handling of the economy and 27% approving on inflation. On immigration the electorate is narrowly divided, with 50% saying Democrats can handle the issue better and 49% favoring Republicans, a swing from the GOP’s several-point advantage earlier in the year.
“During the Biden administration years, immigration attitudes were often defined by border security considerations,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on the Fox News Poll with Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. Women and voters under 45 currently tilt toward Democrats on immigration, while men and those 45 and older still prefer Republicans.
Immigration remains one of Trump’s stronger issues, though his score is negative: 42% approve and 57% disapprove. Views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement mirror that pattern; ICE approval is 41% now, down from 49% last September, with sharp partisan divergence—most Republicans approve while majorities of Democrats and many independents disapprove.
On policy preferences, only 7% of voters favor allowing all illegal immigrants to stay, while 62% support deporting those charged with crimes and allowing others to remain and potentially qualify for citizenship. Thirty-one percent favor deporting all illegal immigrants, a position strongest among MAGA Republicans at 68%.
When asked about their top worries tied to illegal immigration, voters most often point to the strain on government programs (39%), followed by concerns about crime (19%), job impacts (14%), cultural change (13%), and terrorism (10%). These priorities help explain why immigration and government capacity remain central to the debate.
The survey also highlights a sharp split within the GOP: ICE approval is 91% among MAGA Republicans but just 59% among other Republicans, and 91% of MAGA Republicans approve of Trump’s immigration approach compared with 63% of other GOP voters. On deportation policy, MAGA Republicans are roughly 30 points more likely to favor removing all illegal immigrants.
Conducted July 17–20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this national survey interviewed a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents were reached by live interviewers on landlines and cellphones or completed the survey online after receiving a text, and the full-sample margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. The survey included an oversample of younger voters to better measure attitudes among ages 18–29, and weights were applied to ensure demographic representativeness; sampling error for subgroup estimates is larger and question order can affect results.
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