The Daily Journal.— The government’s handling of Venezuela’s twin-earthquake emergency has taken a heavy toll on the political standing of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. According to the latest public opinion survey conducted by AtlasIntel in partnership with Bloomberg, public dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership and the official response to the June 24 earthquakes has reached critical levels.
The survey shows that disapproval of Rodríguez’s administration climbed steadily to 63.3% by the end of June, a sharp increase from 44.3% in February, when she completed her first month as acting president after replacing Nicolás Maduro. Meanwhile, support for her leadership fell to 24.0%.
When respondents evaluated the interim government overall, 53.3% described its performance as “Bad” or “Very Bad,” while only 15.4% rated it as “Excellent” or “Good.”
Public rejects the government’s disaster response
Public frustration with the administration intensified after the government’s response to the natural disaster, which has already claimed more than 3,500 lives and left thousands injured and displaced.
According to the survey, 65.4% of Venezuelans disapprove of how the government and public authorities handled the emergency. Among them, 52.4% described the official response as “Very Bad,” while only 11.5% rated it as “Good” and 9.8% considered it “Excellent.”
The strongest criticism came from the Capital Region, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquakes alongside the Central Region. In the Caracas metropolitan area, 75.8% of respondents rejected the government’s response to the disaster, closely matching the 75.0% overall disapproval rating of Rodríguez’s administration in the same region.
Institutional trust continues to erode
The AtlasIntel-Bloomberg survey also points to a significant decline in public confidence in both civilian and military authorities to lead Venezuela’s reconstruction.
President Rodríguez faces 66% active distrust among respondents. The institutions responsible for responding to the emergency have also suffered major reputational damage. The Venezuelan Army received a 63% distrust rating, while police forces registered 62%.
By contrast, Venezuelans place far greater confidence in non-political institutions. Healthcare professionals and physicians rank first with an overwhelming 88% trust rating, followed by firefighters at 76% and private-sector companies at 73%.
International organizations and governments also inspire greater confidence than the national administration. Respondents expressed 75% trust in the United States government and 63% in international NGOs to coordinate humanitarian assistance, compared with 43% trust in Venezuela’s national government.
