Poll: Young conservatives are the strongest supporters of the war in Iran

For nearly two and a half years, beginning with Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks and the wars that followed in the Middle East, considerable attention has been focused on the emerging divisions within the Republican Party over foreign policy and support for Israel. 

On one side are figures like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, opposed to the war and elevating a strain of right-wing anti-Israel sentiment, often veering into outright antisemitism in Carlson’s case. 

On the other side, more traditional Republicans such as Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), along with pundits like Mark Levin and often President Trump himself, have argued for the strategic importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance and for confronting Iran on national security grounds. 

For their part, the media has eagerly amplified this division. Most recently, the resignation of Joe Kent — a senior counterterrorism official in the Trump administration — over objections to the war has been portrayed as exemplifying the growing Republican rift, which supposedly threatens the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

While these divisions are real — even drawing in Trump, who last weekend castigated Kelly and Republicans opposing the war — the data simply does not support the idea that conservatives, especially younger ones, are turning away from Israel. 

Polling conducted by our firm, Schoen Cooperman Research, among U.S. adults under 30 years old who identify as ideologically conservative (“young conservatives”), suggests the opposite: Young conservatives are more supportive of the war against Iran than the public at large. 

While our firm’s prior polling found that U.S. adults overall are closely divided — 44 percent supporting the war and 41 percent opposing — we found that 61 percent of young conservatives support the war, compared with just roughly one-quarter (24 percent) who oppose.

Moreover, young conservatives largely reject the isolationist policies championed by Carlson and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Presented with a choice between a more active foreign policy or an isolationist one that prioritizes domestic needs, a majority (57 percent) of young conservatives say the U.S. should play an active role in the Middle East, including intervening militarily when necessary. Conversely, one-third (32 percent) prefer a more isolationist approach. 

At the same time, our survey of 350 young conservatives found little evidence for the claim that they believe the U.S. is fighting this war on Israel’s behalf rather than its own. Asked whose interests the U.S.-Israeli military operation is serving, two-thirds believe it primarily benefits both countries’ (35 percent) or mostly serves American interests (31 percent). Just 1 in 5 said it mainly serving Israel.  

Among supporters of the military operation, the most cited reason is a belief that Iran is a threat to the U.S., Israel, and the entire world. In that same vein, strong majorities of young conservatives support the war’s individual goals: stopping Iran’s funding of terrorist groups (81 percent), ending Iran’s nuclear program (75 percent), and even bringing about regime change (69 percent).  

Perhaps due to an understanding of the threats Iran posed and the need to confront its terror-supporting regime, nearly 7 in 10 young conservatives (68 percent) consider the war necessary.  

None of this is to suggest that young conservatives are without concern. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) worry that the conflict could escalate into a full-scale regional or even world war. And with 95 percent saying that the economy and cost of living are important issues, rising oil prices may soon have a negative impact on public opinion.  

This data sharply undercuts the narrative pushed by anti-Israel voices on the far-right, personified by Carlson, Kelly, Candace Owens and others. Nearly 7 in 10 (69 percent) young conservatives are sympathetic to messaging which underscores the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, including the sacrifices Israelis are making while fighting alongside their American allies. 

Further, majorities believe this is a war of self-defense rather than aggression for both the U.S. (57 percent) and Israel (52 percent), directly contradicting claims that Israel dragged the U.S. into an offensive war for its own ends.  

Taken together, these findings should serve as a critical reminder that the media generally and social media can amplify voices that are not representative of the broader public — or even of the constituencies they claim to speak for. Put another way, while there has been a tremendous amount of ink spilled over the supposed GOP shift away from Israel, especially among younger Republicans, the data simply does not show that.  

Instead, it shows that the next generation of Republicans remain broadly supportive of the U.S.-Israel alliance and deeply aware of the threat Iran poses to both countries.  

This support reflects a pragmatic view that Israel remains one of America’s strongest allies in a dangerous region — a country willing to fight alongside the U.S. and serve as a force multiplier against a regime that has funded terrorism, pursued nuclear weapons, and threatened stability far beyond the Middle East. 

Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman are pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. They are co-authors of the book, “America: Unite or Die.”  

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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