WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) – Most Americans believe gasoline prices will rise in the coming months following President Donald Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran, and many expect a prolonged conflict, a Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded on Monday showed.
About 67% of respondents in the four-day poll — including 44% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats — said they expect U.S. gasoline prices to get worse next year. And 60% of Americans expect US military involvement in Iran to ‘continue for a long period of time,’ according to the poll.
American and Israeli forces launched coordinated attacks on Iran on February 28, killing the country’s leader in an initial surprise attack.
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The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 29% of Americans approve of the attacks, just above the 27% recorded in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the hours immediately after the military campaign began. Both polls have a margin of error of around 3 percentage points.
The latest poll highlights the political risks Trump poses to the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections in November, when Democrats hope to take control of at least one House of Congress from Trump’s party.
About 64% of survey participants — including one in four Republicans and nine in ten Democrats — responded that Trump did not clearly explain the objectives of U.S. military involvement.
PRICE INCREASE
Trump returned to the White House last year after promising to control inflation and prevent military personnel from being trapped in an overseas conflict. Since launching attacks against Iran, U.S. gasoline prices have risen by about $0.50 per gallon and at least seven U.S. soldiers have been killed.
Gasoline prices are highly sensitive in the US, as they are one of the most immediate and visceral indications Americans have about increases and decreases in their cost of living.
Energy prices rose daily last week across the country and internationally, including during the weekend the Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted.
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Analysts expect weeks or months of rising fuel prices around the world, even if the conflict ends quickly.
Trump is weighing ways to combat rising prices, but U.S. policy options may have limited influence on global oil markets. This Monday, the president told journalists that the military operation in Iran is ‘way ahead of our initial schedule’.
Forty-nine percent of Americans — including one-third of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats — think the war in Iran will have a negative impact on their personal finances. About one in three Republicans said they were unsure how the war would affect their finances.
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Conducted online, the Reuters/Ipsos survey interviewed 1,021 American adults across the country.
