War With Iran Has Canadians Concerned
As missiles fly, Canadians question the long term consequences for all involved
With America kicking off a war in the Middle East alongside Israel and seeing as how the conflict is rapidly devolving into a regional conflict with many nations on the receiving end of missiles and drones, Canadians aren’t thrilled with the prospects.
Only 34% of Canadians say they support the United States and Israel carrying out airstrikes against Iran, of which the initial opening salvo killed the Supreme Leader of Iran alongside many top Iranian government officials. On the flip side, 49% oppose the move, while another 17% of Canadians are unsure how they feel about the issue.
Conservatives were strongly in support of the American-Israeli airstrikes that have led to the ongoing war in the Middle East, with 64% supporting the move and 24% opposing it.
Conversely, Liberal and New Democratic voters are strongly opposed to the move by the Americans, with 69% and 74% opposing the move, respectively.
Want access to full articles, election models, polling deep-dives, and more?
Consider supporting Canadian content like this for as little as $5/month!
Whether you believe the unconvincing argument by the Americans that they’re engaging in these strikes on Iran to support protestors on the ground and other Iranians to break free from the authoritarian regime, Canadians broadly have mixed views of the situation.
When asked whether they believe this military action will make life in Iran better or worse, 34% said the latter, with only 28% of Canadians believing the bombing campaign will make the lives of Iranians better. Another 19% said that it’ll make no difference, while an additional 19% were unsure.
Once again, Conservatives were strongly of the opinion this will make lives better for Iranians, with 54% saying as much, compared to only 16% who say it’ll make life worse for those in the nation.
Only 11% and 12% of Liberals and New Democrats believe life will be better off, while 45% and 58%, respectively, say things will get worse for those living in Iran.
Those negative sentiments extend to the rest of the world and those engaging in the bombing campaign as well, with Canadians broadly believing no one will be any safer because of this conflict.
The survey found 27% of Canadians believe the world will be safer thanks to the ongoing military action, including 51% of Conservatives, while 47% believe the world will be less safe as a result.
It also found 26% of Canadians saying Israel will be safer thanks to the conflict, while another 43% believe that it’ll make the state less safe, with 60% of New Democrats and 56% of Liberals agreeing.
The nation Canadians believe will benefit the least from this war is America, where only 17% say the US will be safer for its action abroad, compared to 28% who say there will be no difference and 46% who say the US will be less safe as a result.
Conservatives stand out on every question, with those voters being more likely than not to say the world will be safer and better off thanks to US military action against Iran.
Yet, how long will this conflict go on? Trump argues that it’ll last four to five weeks, yet we’ve seen conflicts like this quickly spiral into months, if not years long quagmires.
Overall, 9% of Canadians believe the conflict in Iran will last less than a month, while 27% believe that it’ll be over in less than six months. That includes a combined total of 54% of Conservatives, 29% of Liberals, and 18% of New Democrats who believe the war will be over in less than six months.
Another 19% believe the war will last between six months and a year, with 18% of Conservatives, 19% of Liberals, and 27% of New Democrats holding that view.
Then we start to get into Afghanistan and Iraq territory, with 21% of Canadians believing the war will last between one and five years, while 5% say that it’ll last between five years and a decade. Only 4% believe that the conflict will last more than a decade, which for context, the Americans were in Afghanistan for more than two decades, and in Iraq for about a decade.
How long this war will last is anyone’s guess. The sheer buildup of American forces in the region suggests they’re in it for the long haul, with rumours on Capitol Hill that they may have to turn to boots on the ground at some point in the conflict. But that’s an entirely different political situation for our neighbours down south to deal with, and the backlash that is almost certainly heading their way politically.