New polling shows a majority of Americans are concerned about further military conflict between the U.S. and Venezuela
A nationwide survey by Change Research before President Nicolás Maduro was captured showed that Americans were already concerned about increased conflict with Venezuela. The poll, conducted December 5-10, 2025, interviewed 1,520 registered voters as part of Change Research’s internal Compass Poll series, which informs the Change Research Data Portal.
A Majority of Americans Showed Pre-Capture Concern About Military Conflict with Venezuela
59% of voters said they were concerned about the possibility of further military conflict between the U.S. and Venezuela. A plurality of voters were very concerned (32%), with an additional 28% somewhat concerned about escalation. Concern in early December was highest with Democrats (86%) and Independents (65%), while just 31% of Republicans said they were concerned about further conflict.
Venezuela was already top of mind for three-in-four voters a month before the capture of President Nicolás Maduro
At the beginning of December 2025, 74% of voters said they had recently seen or read about what’s going on in Venezuela, including 41% who said they had seen or read a lot about the topic. Just 11% of voters said they had heard nothing at all. Voters over 65 (55%) were the most tuned in, saying they had heard a lot about the topic recently, compared to just 26% of voters ages 18-34 who said that they had heard a lot.
Sharp Political Divides on Whether the U.S. Should Take Military Action
Americans were generally split on how they would prefer to see the U.S. approach the conflict with Venezuela. 34% believed the U.S. should take strong military action against Venezuela if needed to protect American interests, while 31% believed the U.S. should focus on diplomatic and economic pressure, not military action. 26% believed the U.S. should not get involved in Venezuela at all. Republicans firmly supported President Trump’s agenda to take strong military action to protect American interests (74%); only 6% of Democrats shared that sentiment. A plurality of Independents (34%) believed that the U.S. should not get involved at all.
Voters Split on Recent Trump Administration Sanctioned Military Strikes on Venezuelan Boats
47% of voters said they supported President Trump’s order for multiple U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the administration said were carrying drugs for a Venezuelan drug gang operating in international waters. 47% opposed the order. Opposition to the order was high among Democrats (86% oppose), while 91% of Republicans supported the President’s decision. A bare majority of Independents opposed the action by 51%-to-34%.
About This Poll
Change Research conducted this survey among 1,520 registered voters from December 5 to 10, 2025. The modeled margin of error is 2.7%. The poll includes responses across party identification, gender, age, ethnicity, and education levels.
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