Related videos:
The Cuban regime blocked the link to the survey on political and social perspectives in Cuba, driven by more than 20 independent media outlets, content creators, and activists, confirmed last Friday by the platform Alas Tensas and journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
"We can confirm that the link to the survey on the political opinions of the Cuban people, promoted by more than 20 media outlets, content creators, and independent Cuban activists, has been blocked by the Cuban authorities," announced Alas Tensas on their social media.
Despite the blockade, participation from within the island did not stop: at the time of the report, more than 7,100 responses came from Cuba, thanks to technical mechanisms implemented by the team behind the initiative.
In the comments on the posts sharing the survey, Cubans from within the island reported being unable to access the link. Several users confirmed that they were able to enter only after activating a VPN, and others asked for instructions on how to do so.
The organizers recommended using updated versions of the browsers Chrome, Mozilla, Edge, or Brave, and if access remains blocked, to use a VPN and indicate within the survey that the response is coming from Cuba. "In the subsequent analysis of the data, we will be able to distinguish," they clarified.
The journalist Amelia Calzadilla alerted on her social media: “The survey has over 9,000 participants, but we are being told from inside Cuba that it is being blocked.”
Mayeta Labrada, from Santiago de Cuba, was straightforward: "The attempt to silence has not achieved the most important thing: to mute the voice of the people. Cubans on the island continue to speak out, responding and making it clear that they want to be heard, even if attempts are made to prevent them."
The live panel of the survey recorded 12,583 total responses: 7,161 (57%) from within Cuba and 5,422 (43%) from the diaspora, according to anonymous geolocation. By provinces, Havana leads with 3,056 responses (27.1%), followed by Villa Clara (455), Matanzas (404), Holguín (377), and Santiago de Cuba (321).
Partial results reveal a massive rejection of the government system: 92% of participants express very strong dissatisfaction with the current model, and confidence in the government averages 1.09 out of five. Miguel Díaz-Canel receives the lowest individual rating among those evaluated, with an average of 1.11 out of five, and 93.7% assigning him the minimum value.
75.1% of respondents support the transition to a liberal democracy with a market economy, while support for socialism is minimal: only 1.9% believe in reforming the current model and a symbolic 0.1% wish to keep it as it is.
The survey, available at encuestascuba.net and open until May 1st, was launched on April 23rd by a coalition led by elTOQUE with the participation of Rialta, Alas Tensas, and other media outlets. It consists of 32 questions across seven sections and is aimed at all Cubans, whether they live within or outside the country.
The blockade corresponds to a systematic pattern of digital censorship by the regime, placing Cuba among the four countries with the least free internet in the world according to Freedom House. In July 2021, during the protests of 11J, the government completely cut off access to the internet and blocked social networks, a tactic documented by international organizations such as NetBlocks and OONI.
"This survey is not intended to be a statistical demographic exercise, like one we could conduct if we were a democratic country. However, every opinion we have gathered is valuable, and we will amplify all of them," concluded Alas Tensas.
Filed under: