While Americans remain more opposed than in favor of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, support for intervention has risen in the past two weeks, particularly among Republicans. Most Americans believe that Trump should seek congressional authorization before intervening in the country, but support for seeking authorization has declined, especially among Republicans. Democrats and Republicans have grown more polarized on questions of what role the U.S. should play in world affairs and what effect U.S. military interventions have on the countries they occur in.
What you need to know about Americans' views about Venezuela, as of the January 2 - 5, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- The latest Economist/YouGov survey was in the field and 19% of respondents had finished it or at least begun answering questions when Donald Trump announced a U.S. military strike on Venezuela around 4:20pm on January 3, 2026. The other 81% of respondents began the survey after the announcement.
- A note about the results: While we compare responses from people who began the latest survey before and after the announcement of the military strike, these groups were not equivalent in political views or demographics, meaning observed differences in opinions can't be attributed only to the effect of the announcement
- One-quarter (26%) of Americans say they strongly or somewhat support the U.S. using military force to invade Venezuela, up 7 percentage points from two weeks before, the last time the Economist/YouGov survey asked many of the same questions about Venezuela. 56% are now opposed to intervention, compared to 60% who were two weeks ago
- Support for invading Venezuela increased most among Republicans, to 53% from 43%
- The latest survey found that support for invasion was slightly lower among Americans who began the survey before the strikes were announced than among those who began it afterward (21% vs. 27%)
- More Americans oppose than support the U.S. using military force to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (44% vs. 33%), though the share in favor of Maduro's overthrow has risen 11 points in the past two weeks
- Among Republicans, support for the U.S. overthrowing Maduro has risen 22 points since late December, to 66% from 44%. Support for his overthrow also rose, by smaller proportions, among Democrats and Independents
- People who began taking the latest survey before the announcement of the strikes are somewhat less supportive of the U.S. overthrowing Maduro than are those who began it after (27% vs. 34%)
- Two-thirds (66%) of Americans say that Trump should seek authorization from Congress prior to using military force in Venezuela; 19% say he should not. Support for seeking congressional authorization has decreased compared to two weeks ago, when 74% said authorization was necessary and 11% said it was not
- The shift among Republicans has been dramatic; in the past two weeks, the share of Republicans saying Trump should seek authorization from Congress before striking Venezuela fell 19 points, to 39% from 58%
- Respondents who began the latest survey prior to the strike announcement are more likely to favor Trump seeking congressional authorization than those who began it after (72% vs. 65%)
- Only 22% of Americans describe the situation in Venezuela as a "national emergency" for the U.S.; more than twice as many (52%) say it is not. Both numbers are little changed from two weeks ago
- More Americans disapprove than approve of how Donald Trump is handling Venezuela (49% vs. 32%) and views on his approach to the country have not changed in recent weeks
- Americans remain twice as likely to be negative than positive about how U.S. foreign military interventions affect the countries where they occur: 43% believe interventions more often worsen the situations in these countries, 21% think they improve them, and 17% think they neither improve nor worsen them
- Compared to two weeks ago, slightly more Republicans now say that U.S. military interventions generally have a positive effect on the countries they occur in (42% vs. 37%).
- Democrats are now more likely to say U.S. military interventions have a negative effect (63% vs. 55%)
- Views on the role the U.S. should play in the world have become increasingly politically polarized. Compared to two weeks ago, more Republicans (55% vs. 45%) and less Democrats (47% vs. 58%) now say that the U.S. should take an active part in world affairs, rather than stay out of world affairs
Image: Getty (Jesus Vargas / Stringer)
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