Since January, the U.S. has been preventing foreign countries from shipping oil to Cuba, leaving much of the country without access to fuel. This marks an escalation in the U.S.'s long-standing embargo of Cuba, intended to put pressure on the island's communist government. A new YouGov poll shows that more Americans disapprove than approve of the U.S. blocking oil shipments to Cuba and of the embargo against Cuba. More Americans say that the U.S.'s treatment of Cuba is too harsh and say that economic sanctions are more likely to hurt the people of a country than to hurt its government. While a majority of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Cuba's government, most have a favorable opinion of the Cuban people. A majority of Americans oppose using military force in Cuba. Majorities say that Cuba is unfriendly to the U.S. but does not pose a serious threat.

More Americans view U.S. treatment of Cuba as too harsh than as too lenient

Nearly half (46%) of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of the U.S.'s current policy of blocking oil shipments to Cuba from other countries. Only about one-quarter (28%) approve. Most Democrats (74%) disapprove — only 8% approve — and Independents are more likely to disapprove than approve (44% vs. 20%). On the other hand, a majority (59%) of Republicans approve and only 19% disapprove.

Americans have similar views about the long-standing trade embargo against Cuba: 40% disapprove of the embargo while 32% approve. Disapproval is more common than approval among Democrats (65% vs. 16%) and Independents (41% vs. 21%). But most Republicans (63%) approve of the embargo; only 15% disapprove.

Close to equal shares of Americans say that U.S. treatment of Cuba is somewhat or much too harsh (29%) and about right (26%). Few say that treatment of Cuba is too lenient (11%). This question was asked before any questions about specific treatment of Cuba, such as questions about the embargo or blocking oil shipments. This is meant to prevent respondents from focusing on any particular aspects of U.S. treatment of Cuba while answering this question.

A majority (53%) of Democrats say that treatment of Cuba is too harsh. A smaller share says that treatment is about right (17%) and very few say it is too lenient (3%). Independents are also more likely to say treatment is too harsh (28%) than to say it is about right (22%) or too lenient (5%). Very few Republicans say that treatment is too harsh (7%). A much larger share say that it is about right (42%) and about one-quarter (28%) say it is too lenient.

One aspect of U.S. policy towards Cuba did find broad support in our survey. A majority (61%) of Americans approve of the U.S. having official diplomatic relations with Cuba. Only 10% disapprove. Majorities of Democrats (69%), Independents (58%), and Republicans (57%) approve of having diplomatic relations. Only a small minority (16%) of Republicans disapprove, and disapproval among Democrats (9%) and Independents (7%) is even lower. The U.S. and Cuba have had official diplomatic relations since the U.S. embassy in Havana and Cuban embassy in Washington opened in 2015.

Recent U.S. policy has mostly focused on putting economic pressure on Cuba. Americans would be more opposed to using military force in Cuba. Majorities of Americans say they would oppose the U.S. using military force to attack Cuba (61%) and to overthrow the Cuban government (57%). Only 13% would support attacking Cuba and 18% would support using military force to overthrow its government. Opposition to military force in Cuba is more widespread than opposition toward military action in Iran or Venezuela was before recent U.S. attacks in those countries. (This survey was conducted after the U.S. seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January, but before attacks in Iran began on February 28.)

While majorities of Americans oppose direct use of U.S. military force in Cuba, there is more support for providing aid if Cubans try to overthrow their government. 40% of Americans say they would support the U.S. providing military aid to Cubans in such a scenario, while 29% would oppose it. A majority (63%) would support providing humanitarian aid to Cubans fighting against the government, while only 11% would oppose it.

In all scenarios, Republicans are more supportive of attacking Cuba and providing aid to a Cuban uprising than Democrats or Independents are. Majorities of all three groups would support providing humanitarian aid to a Cuban uprising, but Republicans are the only group in which a majority would support providing military aid. Republicans are also the only group in which a majority would not oppose using U.S. military force to attack Cuba or overthrow the Cuban government, though such an attack would not draw majority support from Republicans, Independents, or Democrats.

Americans have very different opinions about the Cuban government and the Cuban people

Half (50%) of Americans think of Cuba as unfriendly (36%) or an enemy (14%) of the U.S. Only 15% think Cuba is friendly (12%) or an ally (3%). These views differ significantly by political party identification and by age.

Two thirds (67%) of Republicans think of Cuba as unfriendly or an enemy, but Democrats (49%) and Independents (40%) are less likely to feel the same way. The difference is starker when looking just at those who say Cuba is an enemy: About one-quarter (28%) of Republicans take this view, compared to about one in ten Democrats (8%) and Independents (9%).

Younger Americans are much less likely to think of Cuba as unfriendly or an enemy than older Americans. A majority (62%) of Americans 45 and older think of Cuba as unfriendly or an enemy, but less than half (37%) of adults under 45 say the same.

While many Americans think Cuba is unfriendly, far fewer think that Cuba poses a threat to the U.S. Only 19% of Americans think that Cuba poses a somewhat serious threat to the U.S. (14%) or an immediate and serious threat to the U.S. (5%). Two-thirds (65%) of Americans say that Cuba poses only a minor threat (28%) or no threat at all (37%). The share of Americans who see Cuba as a somewhat serious or an immediate threat is smaller than the shares who say this about Russia (71%), Iran (58%), North Korea (58%), and even Mexico (27%). Cuba is evaluated as about as threatening as Venezuela (18% view Venezuela as a somewhat serious or immediate threat). Of the countries asked about in this survey, only Canada is seen as a threat by a significantly smaller share of Americans (4%). Respondents answered this survey after the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but before the beginning of the current U.S. military conflict with Iran.

But Americans' opinions about Cuba cannot be fully captured by questions about its role in international relations. That's because many Americans have very different opinions about the Cuban government and about the Cuban people. A majority (55%) of Americans have a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion about the Cuban government; only 12% view it favorably. But most Americans (63%) have a favorable opinion of the Cuban people; only 9% view the Cuban people unfavorably. Majorities of Democrats (77%), Independents (57%), and Republicans (58%) view the Cuban people favorably. All three groups are more likely to view the Cuban government unfavorably than favorably.

Many Americans are concerned that U.S. sanctions and military interventions hurt people in other countries

Americans' fondness for the Cuban people may help explain why so many oppose current U.S. efforts to economically pressure the Cuban government. Most Americans believe that U.S. economic sanctions hurt people in the sanctioned countries. One-third (32%) of Americans say sanctions mostly hurt the country's people, while a further third (36%) say they hurt the country's people and government equally. Only 9% say that sanctions are more likely to hurt the country's government than its people.

Democrats are particularly likely to see sanctions as hurting people: About half (49%) say sanctions are more likely to hurt people while only 4% say sanctions are more likely to hurt the government. Independents are also more likely to say that sanctions are more likely to hurt people (30%) rather than governments (6%). Republicans are evenly split: 19% say sanctions are more likely to hurt people and 19% say they are more likely to hurt the government. About as many Republicans say sanctions hurt both equally (37%) than say they are more likely to hurt either a country's government or people.

There is also significant division over whether economic sanctions achieve U.S. policy goals. One-third (33%) of Americans say that economic sanctions make countries more likely to compromise with the U.S, but 21% say they make countries more likely to defy the U.S. and 17% say they do not make a difference either way. Republicans' views on this question differ significantly from Democrats' and Independents': A majority (57%) of Republicans say sanctions make countries more likely to compromise with the U.S., but only about one-quarter of Democrats (24%) and Independents (23%) say the same. Democrats (31%) are much more likely than Republicans (12%) to say that sanctions make countries more likely to defy the U.S., with Independents (21%) falling in between.

While many Americans express skepticism about economic sanctions, even more have concerns about military interventions. Today, about twice as many Americans say that U.S. military interventions tend to worsen situations in the countries where they occur than say that interventions tend to improve things (37% vs. 20%). These views are strongly polarized by party. A majority (59%) of Democrats say that U.S. military interventions more often worsen situations; only 7% say they more often improve things. Independents are also more likely to say that interventions worsen things than to say they improve things, though less overwhelmingly so (36% vs. 13%). In contrast, Republicans are much more likely to say that military interventions generally improve situations (43%) than to say they worsen things (15%).

This question has been included in YouGov polls dating back to 2023, and across that time the share of Americans who say that U.S. military interventions tend to worsen things has slightly increased from 28% in December 2023 to 36% today, with a peak of 43% in a survey conducted from January 2 - 5, 2026 (most respondents completed that survey shortly after the U.S. capture of Maduro early on January 3). The shares saying that U.S. interventions tend to improve things or that they neither improve nor worsen things have changed less.

While overall opinion on U.S. military interventions has seen some change, Democrats' and Republicans' views have changed much more significantly, in opposite directions. Today, Republicans are 47 percentage points more likely to say that U.S. military interventions tend to improve situations than to say they tend to worsen things. In December 2023, Republicans were only 3 points more likely to say they improved things, and as recently as September 2025 they were only 7 points more likely to say U.S. interventions improved situations. In contrast, Democrats are now 47 points more likely to say that U.S. military interventions tend to worsen situations than to say they tend to improve situations. This is a dramatic reversal from late 2023, when Democrats were 9 points more likely to say that U.S. interventions improved situations.

Compared to Democrats and Republicans, Independents have had steadier views on U.S. military interventions: Independents have been more likely to say that U.S. interventions worsen situations than to say they improve things since 2023, with a differential of between 21 and 37 points. The most negative evaluations have come in 2026: Independents were 36 points more likely to say U.S. interventions worsen things than improve things in January after the capture of Maduro, and 37 points more likely in March after U.S. strikes on Iran.

— Carl Bialik contributed to this article

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See the results of this poll

Methodology: This YouGov poll was conducted online on February 25 - 27, 2026, among 1,094 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 33% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4 points.

Image: Getty (Paul Biris)

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