A study conducted by the Colombian polling firm National Consulting Center (CNC) found that 79 percent of Venezuelans see the U.S. law enforcement operation that led to the capture of deposed socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro as positive.
The study also found that 49 percent of respondents believe that the United States currently controls Venezuela, against 43 percent who answered that the ruling socialist regime is the one in control instead.
The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo published the study’s results on Tuesday morning and detailed that CNC conducted its survey across all 23 states in Venezuela and the Capital District via telephone between January 5-9, days after the January 3, 2026 capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Demonstrators hold anti-Maduro signs outside the the Metropolitan Detention Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, where ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is being held on January 5, 2026. (Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images)
CNC found that, overall, the most positive response to the United States’ capture of Maduro came from Venezuelan women, with 82 percent of respondents expressing their support against 75 percent of the men.
By age group, the most positive response came from those aged 25-34 and 55-69. The poll found 81 percent of respondents in both brackets answering to be in favor, followed by 80 percent of young men and women aged 18-24. Among those over the age of 70, 71 percent of respondents gave a positive assessment of the events.
“The fact that the survey was conducted nationwide shows that this sentiment is not limited to Caracas, but is widespread throughout the country,” CNC analyst Carlos Lemoine explained to El Tiempo.
El Tiempo reported that, although the study found overwhelming support for Maduro’s capture and subsequent detention, analysis of CNC’s reveals “a climate of expectations mixed with fear.” 61 percent of respondents answered that they believe that Venezuela will prosper now that Maduro is gone against 11 percent who think the situation will worsen.
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Similarly, 61 percent of respondents also answered that they believe that the Venezuelan socialist regime will exercise “greater repression over citizens,” against 39 percent who believe that there will be greater respect for human rights.
“People expect Venezuela to prosper, but they are very afraid that repression will increase,” Lemoine stressed to El Tiempo, and added that the results reflect the perception of a regime that, “although still in power, has been weakened.”
U.S. forces carried out an unprecedented operation in Venezuela on January 3 to arrest Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores — both of whom are presently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, undergoing trial proceedings on multiple narco-terrorism charges. Since then, the Venezuelan socialist regime is being led by “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez, who occupied the position of vice president and oil minister at the time of Maduro’s capture.
President Donald Trump has told reporters over the past days that Rodríguez is cooperating with the United States and is engaged in close talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Locally, however, Rodríguez maintains a seemingly conflictive stance, and has claimed that she is “in charge” of the ruling socialist regime.
“There is an acting president and there is a president held hostage in the United States,” Delcy Rodríguez said this week.
In the hours following Maduro’s capture, the Venezuelan regime deployed a nationwide intimidation and repression campaign against anyone who dares to celebrate the downfall of Nicolás Maduro, with several reports of individuals being arrested by local police for celebrating Maduro’s capture.
At the forefront of the new repression campaign stands Interior Minister — and wanted alleged drug lord — Diosdado Cabello, who controls the Venezuelan regime’s brutally repressive apparatus in addition to the colectivos, armed socialist paramilitary thugs at the service of the regime. The U.S. embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, which handles all Venezuela-related consular affairs since Maduro cut ties with the U.S. in 2019, warned that colectivo members are actively hunting American citizens or those who support the United States.
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Last week, Cabello, widely considered to be the most dangerous strongman in the socialist regime, warned that the ruling socialists have the “monopoly of weapons” in Venezuela. Over the past week, Cabello has filmed himself at night time alongside armed Venezuelan law enforcement officials in different locations in Caracas, threatening civilians under the premise that “doubt is treason.”
Asked by CNC on “who has the power in Venezuela,” 49 percent of respondents said that America currently controls the country against 43 percent who believe the socialist regime is in control instead. Only 8 percent answered that they perceive an “openness” towards the opposition.
“The Venezuelan people have no voice at this time,” Lemoine told El Tiempo.
According to the study’s results, 67 percent of respondents answered that it is “very important” that free elections be held in Venezuelan this year. The study found that 68 percent of respondents would vote for Nobel Peace Prize winner and anti-socialist Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, 14 percent would vote for exiled Venezuelan President-elect Edmundo González, 9 percent for Delcy Rodríguez, and only eight percent for Nicolás Maduro.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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