WASHINGTON (AP) — Many American voters worry that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will escalate into an all-out regional war, according to a new poll. About half of voters are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of a wider war in the region.

Although there are concerns about the escalation of the conflict, according to the survey AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs ResearchHowever, fewer voters (about 4 in 10) worry that the United States will be dragged into a war in the Middle East. This survey has been done before Israeli attack on military bases in Iran on Friday.

The conflict in the Middle East has become a major issue in the campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Attempt to win over Muslim and Jewish voters In battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. Although Democrats and Republicans alike are concerned about the war’s potential for expansion, they disagree on who is responsible for the war’s recent escalation and how the United States should be involved going forward.

Partisan disagreement over the level of responsibility of the Israeli government

Nearly 6 in 10 voters say the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Iranian government and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah bear “major” responsibility for escalating the war in the Middle East. Nearly 4 in 10 voters think the Israeli government has “a lot” of responsibility, and only 2 in 10 voters say the U.S. government has “a lot” of responsibility.

But there is a wide divide among partisans over whether the Israeli government bears “much” responsibility for the escalation of the war. Nearly 6 in 10 Democrats say it does — just as Democrats say Hamas bears “a lot” of responsibility — while only a quarter of Republicans say the Israeli government bears “a lot” of responsibility.

Voters support Iran sanctions but US won’t send troops

Voters generally support economic sanctions against Iran, which could cripple support for its proxy groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. A majority of 55 percent is in favor of imposing sanctions. They are roughly evenly split on whether the United States should provide weapons to the Israeli military, and voters are more likely to oppose sending government funds to aid the Israeli military rather than support it.

Deploying U.S. troops to aid the Israeli army generates little support among voters, regardless of partisan affiliation. About half of voters oppose the deployment of US troops to assist the Israeli army. Only about 2 in 10 voters support deploying U.S. troops to help Israel, and a similar proportion have a neutral view.

Many think the United States is doing its best in ceasefire efforts

USA still puts pressure any move on short-term ceasefire proposalsDespite past disappointments little expectation of immediate breakthroughs before the election.

While nearly half of voters think the United States has done “its best” to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, 3 in 10 say it could have done more. Nearly 2 in 10 voters say the United States should do less.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to want less U.S. involvement in ceasefire efforts. While 3 in 10 Republicans say the United States should do less, 1 in 10 Democrats say the United States should do less. While 6 in 10 Democrats say the United States is doing its best, 4 in 10 Republicans say the United States is doing its best.

Democrats, Republicans and independents are about equally likely to say the United States can do more.

___

The survey of 1,072 adults was conducted Oct. 11-14, 2024, using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.