Only 33% of Americans support the US attack on Venezuela

Only 33% of Americans support the military attacks ordered by President Donald Trump against Venezuela, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll released this Monday (5), while 72% say they fear that the United States will become excessively involved in the South American country after the offensive that resulted in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

The survey indicates that military action faces widespread resistance in North American society, especially when considering its possible consequences.

According to the Reuters/Ipsos survey, 33% of Americans say they approve of the United States military attack on Venezuela, while 34% say they disapprove of the offensive. Another 32% declared that they had no defined position on military action.

The survey also points out that the majority of Americans view the possibility of an escalation of the offensive with concern.

In the survey, 72% of those interviewed said they feared that the United States would become excessively involved in Venezuela after the military operation, while 25% said they had no such concern. Another 3% did not respond.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey interviewed 1,248 adults across the United States, between Sunday (4) and Monday (5), via an online questionnaire, and has a margin of error of three percentage points.

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The survey also recorded President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 42%, the highest level since October, above the 39% observed in December.

Also according to the survey, 74% of those interviewed said they were concerned about the risk to the lives of United States military personnel, while 69% expressed concern about the financial costs of the operation.

The majority also expressed fear that the intervention would lead to prolonged Washington involvement in the Venezuelan crisis.

The military operation was carried out in the early hours of Saturday (3), when the United States armed forces bombed targets in Venezuelan territory and captured President Nicolás Maduro, who was forcibly taken to New York.

The attack is a direct aggression against Venezuela’s sovereignty and a violation of international law, with impacts that go beyond the country and affect the stability of Latin America as a whole.

Concentrated support among Republican voters

Support for the military offensive appears strongly concentrated among Republican Party voters.

According to the Reuters/Ipsos survey, 65% of Republicans said they approved of the United States’ attacks on Venezuela, a percentage that contrasts with the 11% recorded among Democrats and 23% among independent voters.

Among the population as a whole, support for military escalation is more limited: only 30% of those interviewed said they were in favor of sending US troops to Venezuelan territory.

Among Republicans, the survey shows high support for forceful measures and a direct US presence in the country.

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Sixty percent said they supported sending troops to Venezuela, while 65% said they agreed with the idea that Washington would govern the country until a new government was formed.

Still within this group, 59% declared that they support the United States taking control of Venezuelan oil fields.

The survey also measured support for a foreign policy of United States domination over the Western Hemisphere.

Among Republican voters, 43% agreed with the statement that the United States should adopt a policy of dominating Western Hemisphere affairs, while 19% disagreed. The rest said they had no opinion or preferred not to respond.