Polls: Do Utah voters differ from the rest of the nation in their support of the Iran War?

In the weeks following the Iran War’s opening salvos, almost half of surveyed Utahns expressed some level of support for American military action in the Middle East, with many others opting to wait before forming opinions.

But favorable Utah poll numbers about the Iran War are dipping as the Middle East conflict soon enters its seventh month.

Fifty-four percent of Utah voters now say they disapprove of U.S. military actions in Iran, according to the most recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics Survey conducted by Morning Consult. That’s a couple ticks higher than the national Iran War disapproval rate (52%).

The online poll, which surveyed 744 registered voters, reveals that a majority of Utahns are critical of the president’s execution of the conflict. Sixty-one percent express some level of disapproval regarding Trump’s handling of the Iran War.

Trump, of course, has long enjoyed broad support in Utah. The president claimed the Beehive State electoral vote in all of his three presidential runs. But that support appears to have limits.

Utah voters, in fact, are cooler on Trump’s handling of the Iran War than their national counterparts.

Only 36% of Americans approve, to some degree, of Trump’s handling of the Iran War, according to data collected in a separate Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics national poll of 2102 registered voters. But that’s two percentage points above the Utah voter response (34%)

“Utahns are not alone in their concerns about the war, we are seeing that disapproval track nationwide,” said Jason Perry, the director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.

“We found the majority disapprove of the military action itself, and that increases when asked specifically about the president’s handling of the conflict. The results suggest the administration has more work to do explaining the objectives of the conflict and why continued military action is necessary.”

Meanwhile, both the Utah and the national polls show nearly identical underwater Trump numbers when respondents are asked about his overall performance. Fifty-five percent of voters in both surveys — Utah and national — expressed some level of disapproval of the president’s overall job performance.

“Utah voters have supported President Trump in three presidential elections, so seeing disapproval reach 55% is significant,” said Perry.

“Part of his appeal was a promise to avoid prolonged foreign conflicts and improve the economy. Now voters are watching an ongoing war while dealing with higher prices, especially at the gas pump. We’ve seen presidents benefit from a rally-around-the-flag effect during times of conflict, but these numbers show that isn’t happening in Utah.”

And with the November midterm elections just over a month away, the Iran War is likely to be on the minds of voters as they fill out their ballots. Eighty-seven percent in the Utah poll say that the Iran War will be an important issue, to varying degrees, in determining how they will vote.

That figure is almost identical to the national response (86%) regarding the Iran War and the midterms.

Thumbs Up — or Thumbs Down? Utahns rate Trump’s overall job performance

A deeper analysis of the Utah poll reveals religious, generational and political party divisions in Beehive State opinions about Trump and the Iran War.

Overall, 43% of all Utah voters express some level of approval for Trump’s overall job performance. But the president’s approval numbers are notably higher among Latter-day Saint respondents (52%). And almost half of Utah males (49%) give Trump’s current job performance and a thumbs-up — a sizable difference from Utah females (36%).

Meanwhile, older Utah voters are more likely to offer approving nods to the president. Forty-three percent of respondents, ages 45-64, express some level of Trump approval. The president’s approval numbers are lower among younger voters, ages 18-34 (38%).

Seventy-percent of staunch Utah Republican voters in the survey say they approve of Trump’s job performance, compared to 9% of loyal Utah Democrats.

When it comes to measuring Trump’s overall job approval levels among education levels, there is not much difference in Utah. Forty-five percent of Utah voters with a bachelor’s degree approve of Trump’s performance, compared to 41% of Utah voters without a college education.

Perry said the intensity of disapproval stands out in the recent polling. “When 40% of Utah voters strongly disapprove of the president’s performance, that is more than general dissatisfaction. Utah is a reliably Republican state, these numbers deserve attention.

“The declining approval among Republicans and independents is particularly compelling because it suggests the dissatisfaction extends beyond voters who have traditionally opposed the president.”

And how are Utahns feeling about Trump’s handling of the Iran War?

While 43% of Utah voters approve of the president’s overall performance, they are less generous in their appraisal of Trump’s management of the Iran War. Only 34% of Utahns participating in the recent survey approve of Trump’s handling of the ongoing conflict.

Utah male voters are far more inclined to endorse Trump’s handling of the Iran War (43%) than Utah female voters (26%).

And while only about a quarter of Utah voters ages 18-34 (28%) approve of the president’s handling of the war, their fellow voters in the 45-64 age category are more generous (38%).

But when asked about Trump’s wartime performance, the gap between loyal Utah Democrats and loyal Utah Republicans is huge. Only 6% of Democrats approve. Compare that to 56% of Republicans.

And while a slim majority of Utah Latter-day Saints approve of Trump’s overall performance, they are generally unhappy with his handling of the Iran War, with only 39% reporting approval.

Breaking down Trump’s national poll numbers – Approve or Disapprove?

President Trump’s 42% overall approval rating in the recent Deseret News national voter poll leans heavier toward males (44%) than females (40%). And the president enjoys higher job performance figures from older voters, ages 45-64 (44%), than younger voters, ages 18-34 (36%).

National Republican voters remain bullish on Trump, with 80% of GOP respondents expressing some level of approval for the president. Trump’s approval level among Democrats is in the single digits (9%).

But there’s less disparity in Trump’s national approval rates among those voters with no college (44%) and those with bachelor’s degrees (39%),

Meanwhile, national voters surveyed in the recent poll are largely critical of the president’s handling of the Iran War. Just over 40% of males approve of the president’s Iran War efforts, but that’s almost 10 percentage points higher than females (32%).

Younger U.S. voters, ages 18-34, are also less likely to approve of Trump’s handling of the Middle East conflict (32%) than older voters, ages 45-64, (37%).

And while eight in 10 Republicans across the country give approving marks to Trump’s overall job performance, they are less enthused (71%) about his handling of the ongoing war. Only 9% of Democrat voters in the national poll gave Trump a positive Iran War response.

And what about Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, at a moment of national conflict? Only 37% in the national poll approve of Hegseth’s performance.