In an AP-NORC poll conducted in late September 2026, 69% of U.S. adults said the war in Iran had not been worth fighting. Separately, 71% disapproved of President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran. Those are two distinct measures: one asks for a retrospective judgment about the war, while the other measures approval of the president’s approach.
How many Americans say the war was not worth fighting?
AP-NORC reported that 69% of U.S. adults said the war in Iran had not been worth fighting. The poll publisher’s summary describes the subject as “the war in Iran”; the available summary does not reproduce the survey’s exact question text, so that wording should not be treated as a verbatim question.
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The same poll found that 71% disapproved of how Trump was handling Iran. The two findings point in a similar direction, but they measure different opinions: whether the war was worth fighting and whether respondents approved of the president’s handling of Iran.
How was the poll conducted?
AP-NORC conducted the survey from September 24 through September 28, 2026, using AmeriSpeak, NORC at the University of Chicago’s probability-based panel. It interviewed 2,140 U.S. adults online and by telephone. AP-NORC reported an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. That figure describes sampling uncertainty; it does not account for every possible source of survey error.
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Did the share rise since July?
Al Jazeera reported on October 1 that the 69% result was five percentage points higher than in July. That comparison should be read as Al Jazeera’s reported trend: the July topline and its exact question wording are not documented in the available poll summary. Without checking the July question, response options, population and field method against the September survey, the five-point difference alone cannot establish a fully comparable shift.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the result does—and does not—show
The poll records respondents’ views at the time of the survey. It does not establish why people thought the war was or was not worth fighting, predict future opinion, or measure support for every form of U.S. military action.
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The AP-NORC release also reported views on prices and the economy: 65% said higher-than-usual prices resulted from Trump’s policies; 67% of Republicans said higher prices were due to factors beyond the president’s control; 17% approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living; and 26% approved of his handling of the economy. These answers came from separate questions and do not explain respondents’ views about the war.
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Sources
- AP-NORC poll release, published October 1, 2026, including the survey dates, method and headline findings.
- Al Jazeera report, published October 1, 2026, for the reported five-point comparison with July.
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