The latest poll by Consultores 21 makes for a very interesting read. I particularly liked the historical look at the Dictators’ popularity, with his approval rating at 37%, versus a disapproval of 55%. But the most remarkable chart was this one above, showing the approval and disapproval rating of Hugo Chavez by social strata. Only in the Marginal class E part of the population does Chavez still have more approval than disapproval and this segment comprises only 16.9% of the population. In all other segments, Chavez disapproval tops his approval rating, including in class E+.
Truly remarkable!
The Devil's Excrement 
July 7, 2010 at 1:47 am
thank for this article
July 5, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I would like to agree with Johndoe in that September elections will show that his popularity is in rapid decline. I currently own a business in Venezuela and though I know this rapid decline in popularity to be the truth, the elections will only be stolen from the people ONCE AGAIN as it has always occurred in the past. The elections have never been monitored correctly by international agencies and Jimmy Carter’s visit during the last presidential election was a complete joke at best, leaving the country 3 hours before the last voting booths were closed, sealed, and taken away by the national guard. JAU is very correct at saying that the solution for Chavez is to force everyone into the marginal section of the population as demonstrated by his constant raising of minimal wages fueling a massive hyperinflation in the country.
More than 90% of the people that I know personally that voted for Chavez admit they made a mistake and are disillusioned. The only way to finish off this insanity is for everyone to lose their fear of losing credits or rights to anything if they vote against him. All Venezuelans must adopt a new movement on election day and those voting for Chavez should wear a red shirt, all others voting against him should wear a white shirt. Understanding that cameras and videos don’t lie, this will be the only way to prevent another stolen election. The students of the country will unite and have a true count of what the people are voting for. Of course this will only work in Fantasyland, but it would be nice to believe that something positive could come about.
For now, unfortunately the only solution is “between the eyes”.
July 2, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I think these numbers have been the true numbers for a long time and Venezuelans are now willing to say what they think regardless of possible backlash. While his falling popularity is now becoming a matter of public record and the opposition growing, it is not a unified opposition and much of it is within Chavezimo itself.
July 2, 2010 at 3:23 am
I agree with RF.
I think Venezuelan oppo leaders don’t get the real numbers right.
People know or think to know this:
– most Venezuelans live in urban areas: right
– Greater Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto and Ciudad Guayana are cities, the rest is MONTE Y CULEBRAS: wrong, very wrong. Maybe they have little to offer culturally etc (not that even Caracas had a lot to offer on that side, just comparatively speaking), but urban areas for most purposes are locations with something like >35000 inhabitants (or 50000).
Here the list of Venezuelan cities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anexo:Ciudades_de_Venezuela
I don’t even see in that list areas that are very urban now but not counted as cities, as Los Guayos with all the many slums that grew around in the last 15 years or Tocuyito. Both areas have more than 100 000 inhabitants…and they are just a couple of kilometers outside big Valencia…and the opposition almost never goes there. An aunt lives in Los Guayos and says she only some them once in 2008 and she is in the very centre of Los Guayos.
And it is becoming harder and harder. Something I haven’t heard about is how chavismo is taking power from the few radios that still were critical. A radio broadcasting from La Victoria up to Northern Guárico will now basically be able to broadcast only around La Victoria, “por la Panamericana”.
As a friend told me: in Venezuela you just have to get out of the Panamericana to be in chavista territory.
There are lots of people disappointed by Chavismo, but they are afraid and they don’t see how a couple of sifrinos de Caracas (sorry, that is the way they see it) who studied in private universities and then abroad and who talk only about the things that affect them would do anything better.
We can turn the tide for real and for good but we need to reach those regions with messages that touch them. We could gain more credibility if some of the messages are things that do not affect US, thus things that are obviously thought from their point of view (like public hospitals, better basic education for their kids, real jobs and property rights for them)
July 1, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Chavez solution to this???
Make every single Venezuelan part of the E – stratus!!!
July 1, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Lets hope so…. september elections will tell….
fingers crossed for debumking the myth of this popcorn-brain hugo…
July 1, 2010 at 9:33 pm
This study covers the urban population basically, and ignores the rural population whose vote is worth roughy one third more than that of the urban population, since (this is strictly from memory) something like 39% of the population that is rural elects 52% of the deputies in the assembly…
July 1, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Looks like Venezuelans are finally losing faith in der fuhrer.