Making Sense with More in Common: Iran war, cost of living, and political violence
A new series to help you make sense of the week ahead
Monday, May 4, 2026
Introducing More in Common’s newest series, Making Sense with More in Common. We’ll share charts and data points from our research and recent polls to help you make sense of the week ahead.
Here’s what you need to know this week:
1. On the Iran war, fault lines are emerging within Trump’s coalition—and some Trump voters are starting to regret their vote.
Our survey from March 30 to April 6, 2026 found that just 25 percent of Americans support the war while 52 percent are opposed. But Trump voters aren’t monolithic. Their support ranges from nearly universal to strongly opposed depending on the type of Trump voter.
87 percent of MAGA Hardliners and 71 percent of Anti-Woke Conservatives support the war.
However, a majority (54 percent) of the Reluctant Right oppose the decision to go to war with Iran, while only 26 percent support it.
Today, 35 percent of the Reluctant Right say they have at least some regret about voting for President Trump—a rate that has more than doubled since April of last year. Comparatively, other Trump voters in his coalition remain confident in their 2024 vote.
Dig into the full data:
2. Trump voters do not believe that Trump himself shares their priorities.
With gas prices rising, the cost of living dominates what Trump voters say they care about most. However, they don’t believe the cost of living is anywhere near the top of the President’s agenda.
Asked to name their top three priorities, the cost of living is unrivaled as Trump voters’ top concern (listed by 60 percent), followed by the economy in general (35 percent), and then immigration (31 percent).
However, Trump voters most commonly cite the president’s top priorities as immigration (60 percent list it as a top priority for the President), the Iran War (44 percent), and the economy in general (33 percent).
“I am one social security check from having my lights out. I can’t afford gas going up like my grocery bill.“
— Amy, 63-year-old White woman and Reluctant Right Trump voter from Walker, Louisiana
As gas prices keep rising, that disconnect is becoming more visible, and potentially could become more politically consequential for part of Trump’s coalition.
3. Don’t confuse the presence of political violence with public support for it.
The shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner has intensified debates about political violence in America. In moments like this, one instinct is to assume support for violence is growing and widespread. While the majority of Americans are concerned that violence is becoming a problem in the US, we’ve found strong majorities of Americans reject political violence.
Our January 2026 poll found that 67% of Americans say violence is becoming more of a problem in American politics.
Yet large majorities of Americans across party lines say they do not support political violence.
In a 2024 survey following the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, PA, Democrats estimated that nearly half of Republicans (47 percent) agree with the statement: “Violence against Democrats is now justified.” However, only 13 percent of Republicans agreed. This is consistent with research we did in 2020 as well as the Polarization Lab’ s regular tracking of Americans’ views on political violence.
The story isn't that Americans support political violence. It's that we're increasingly convinced the other side does.
Read our full analysis from September 2025:
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