Gas Prices Are Americans' Main Concern About the Iran War

The U.S. military intervention in Iran has been unpopular from the start. More than two months into the conflict, 44 percent of U.S. adults strongly oppose the war, while another 16 percent are somewhat against it. That’s according to a weekly Economist/Yougov poll, which found last month that 51 percent of Americans think that going to war with Iran was the wrong decision and that 70 percent think that the U.S. government should make a deal to end the conflict as quickly as possible.

Interestingly, Americans’ biggest concern about the war in Iran isn’t getting entangled into another protracted war or putting the lives of U.S. soldiers on the line, it’s a problem that hits much closer to home: high gas and fuel prices. According to a survey conducted in late March by the Pew Research Center, 45 percent of U.S. adults said they were extreme concerned about higher energy prices because of the conflict, with another 24 percent saying they were very concerned about pain at the pump.

It is perhaps understandable that inflation-plagued Americans, many of whom struggling to make ends meet, are concerned with another crisis putting even more pressure on their already strained personal finances. It is, however, surprising that this weighs even heavier on the minds of many Americans than the potential geopolitical consequences.

Interestingly, higher gas prices are the most cited concern about the Iran war regardless of party preference. While 79 percent of Democrats said they were concerned about higher energy prices, 59 percent of Republicans said the same, both the highest share among all concerns included in the survey. The biggest difference between party lines was visible when it came to fears that the conflict could spread beyond the Middle East. While 70 percent of Democrats expressed such concerns, only half as many Republicans said they were concerned about the war expanding outside the region.