More than three-quarters of the 1,318 surveyed on the Island are calling for political and economic changes, and 84% distrust recent reforms.
14ymedio, Madrid, August 14, 2026 – Ninety-five percent of Cubans disapprove of the management of the Government of Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, according to the most recent report on the State of Social Rights in Cuba, published this Thursday by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (Ocdh).
The report, based on a survey of 1,318 Cuban citizens conducted between June 27 and July 29, is the ninth in a series of studies carried out by the Observatory since 2019. In this latest report, the organization points to a record negative assessment of the Cuban Government’s economic and social management, while revealing “a great distrust in its recent economic measures.”
Seventy-three percent of those surveyed rate the Government’s management is “very negative” and 22% rate it as “negative.” Only 3% of the sample rate it positively. Regarding the recent economic measures taken by the Government, 84% distrust that they will improve the country’s situation, compared with 6% who expect a favorable effect.
However, 50% of those surveyed are optimistic about the possibility of favorable changes for the population over the next six months, an expectation that, according to the report itself, “apparently will not come from the Government’s measures.” More than three-quarters (77%) want political and economic changes, while 9% favor exclusively economic changes, 7% demand an end to the U.S. embargo, and 4% want only political changes.
Ninety-five percent of those surveyed disapprove of the performance of the Government of Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz
The need for change and discontent with the Government are explained by data revealing the deterioration of living conditions. Sixty-three percent report difficulties even purchasing the most essential goods, while 30% have incomes that only allow them to cover basic needs. Overall, only 6% can make purchases beyond the basics. Some 68% of households report monthly incomes below 20,000 pesos.
Ninety-four percent of Cubans live in extreme poverty, according to the Observatory. This alarming figure was calculated based on total household income and the international poverty line—established by the World Bank—of $1.90 per person per day. To convert this to Cuban pesos, the report uses a median exchange rate of 510 CUP per dollar between October 2025 and June 2026. Using this rate, the extreme poverty line for a three-person household is set at 87,210 pesos per month.
The report does not include precise figures on income from remittances sent from abroad, but notes that, although they have a positive influence on those who receive them, “their frequency, amount and modality, as well as the scarcity and increased cost of basic necessities and services, also limit their impact on these families.”
Remittances to Cuba barely reached $1,113,450,000 in 2024, a 43.43% decrease compared to 2023, according to calculations in the latest report published by Cuba Siglo 21 and authored by economist Emilio Morales. The drop is dramatic, especially when compared to 2019, when the amount totaled $3,716,710,000.
Eight out of 10 Cubans have stopped eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to a lack of money or food shortages,” the OCDH notes
“Eight out of 10 Cubans have stopped eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to a lack of money or food shortages,” the OCDH notes. A year ago it was seven out of ten.
The report also reveals greater vulnerability among older people. Among those over 61, the proportion of those who have skipped one of their daily meals rises to nine out of 10. 47% of people over 60 report household incomes below 3,056 pesos, the official minimum pension. Nearly all of them (99%) attribute skipped meals to a lack of money or food.
The situation is especially serious among those over 60 living on the streets. The report warns of “extreme vulnerability of the elderly population in terms of housing in Cuba.”
Only 18% of those surveyed say they live in a home in good condition, while 47% say it needs repairs, 25% say it requires urgent repairs, and 7% say it is in danger of collapse. Overall, more than three-quarters of the homes in the sample are in poor condition, according to the OCDH.
The deterioration also extends to public infrastructure: 95% consider the condition of the electrical grid to be poor, 87% say the same about garbage collection and landfills, and 86% about internet and telephone services.
73% rate the Government’s performance as “very negative” and 22% as “negative”; only 3% of the sample rate it positively.
However, according to the ODCH, the results also reflect a “contained hope that something positive is coming for the country,” as well as “a forceful clarity about the direction change should take.”
Among the main problems that should be addressed over the next six months, blackouts rank first, mentioned by 70% of those surveyed, followed by the food crisis (52%), the cost of living and inflation (45%), and healthcare and medicines (34%). Each respondent could mention up to three problems.
Regarding the “desired type of change” for the next six months, none of those surveyed chose for “everything to remain as it is.” The preference for maintaining the current situation is “practically nonexistent,” the report concludes.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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