The Daily Journal. — Half of Venezuelans believe the recent oil agreement with Washington will benefit the United States more than Venezuela, according to the latest public opinion survey conducted by AtlasIntel in partnership with Bloomberg (Latam Pulse, August 2026). The study assessed citizens’ perceptions of the bilateral agreement announced by President Donald Trump involving 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves.
According to the survey, 50.2% of respondents believe the agreement’s terms will predominantly favor U.S. interests. In contrast, only 27.7% believe both countries will share the benefits equally; 12.5% say the initiative will bring no benefits to either side, while just 9.6% believe Venezuela will benefit more than the United States.
Polarized views on support for the agreement
The survey — which polled 1,922 Venezuelan adults between August 30 and September 3, 2026 — revealed significant social divisions over general support for the energy negotiations: 37.6% of respondents oppose the agreement and 35.4% support it, while 27.0% remain undecided.
Regarding public awareness of the decision to grant U.S. corporations majority operational control, 37.2% said they had only a superficial understanding of the issue, 32.3% said they were unaware of it, and 30.5% said they were well informed.
Impact on living conditions and the oil industry
When asked how Washington’s stated goals — increasing supply and lowering fuel prices in the U.S. domestic market — could affect Venezuelans’ living conditions, respondents expressed divided views. A total of 39.3% expect positive effects (21.3% “very positive” and 18.0% “somewhat positive”), while 23.7% anticipate negative consequences (14.2% “somewhat negative” and 9.5% “very negative”). Another 19.6% remain neutral, while 17.4% expressed no opinion.
Although 53% of Venezuelans agree that an influx of private capital will provide the investment needed to revive the country’s hydrocarbon infrastructure (37% strongly agree and 16% generally agree), institutional concerns persist.
Questions over legitimacy and sovereignty
The report shows that respondents’ main concerns center on the administration’s legitimacy to agree and on protecting the country’s strategic assets.
A total of 55% agree that the current administration lacks the legal and political authority to commit the nation’s natural resources through long-term concessions (47% strongly agree and 8% generally agree).
Another 53% agree that the country is giving up substantial assets in exchange for minimal returns (38% strongly agree and 15% generally agree).
Meanwhile, 51% believe the agreement’s structure directly compromises Venezuela’s sovereignty over its hydrocarbon resources (36% strongly agree and 15% generally agree).
Only 34% of Venezuelans believe the government negotiated the partnership by prioritizing the public interest over preserving its own political power, while 47% reject that premise (35% strongly disagree and 12% generally disagree).
