Nearly 2 in 3 Americans see next world war on horizon

Christina Van Wassbergen

(CN) — With the outbreak of war between the U.S. and Iran, a new poll released Friday shows Americans see an increasing likelihood of a world war within the next few years.

A survey of 1,000 likely voters by Emerson College found 63% believe it’s either somewhat or very likely that a world war will break out in the next four years, an eight-point jump from the 55% who said the same thing in March 2025. The poll was conducted earlier this week, less than a month after the U.S. and Israel first conducted joint strikes on Iran in late February.

Results varied by age, with 75% of voters under 50 saying they think it’s likely a world war will happen in the next four years, compared to 54% of voters over 50.

American voters have their eyes on Iran, with 88% saying they’re following the situation in Iran either somewhat or very closely. Nearly half of voters, 47%, said they oppose the U.S. military action in Iran, while 40% said they support it and 13% weren’t sure.

Almost half of voters, 49%, think President Donald Trump’s handling of foreign policy is “poor,” up from 41% in March 2025. A majority, 53%, think the Trump administration is not “putting America first,” while 42% say it is. This a reversal from last year, when 48% of voters said the administration was putting “America first,” while 41% said it wasn’t.

“Independent and Hispanic voters drive the shift in voters’ perception of the Trump administration,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in the poll’s release Friday. “A year ago, independents were split: 45% thought the administration was putting America first and 44% thought it was not. Today, 58% say it is not, while 36% say it is. Similarly, Hispanics were split, 41% to 42%; today, 58% say the administration is not putting America first, while 33% say it is.”

Overall, 42% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president. This is roughly the same as last month, when an Emerson poll conducted days before the war with Iran started found the president had a 43% approval rating. However, Trump’s disapproval rating has dropped four points since last month, from 55% to 51%.

Compared to March 2025, though, Trump’s disapproval rating has increased by eight points, while his approval rating has fallen six points.