By: Frank Newport – news.gallup.com – August 13, 2018

For the first time in Gallup’s measurement over the past decade, Democrats have a more positive image of socialism than they do of capitalism. Attitudes toward socialism among Democrats have not changed materially since 2010, with 57% today having a positive view. The major change among Democrats has been a less upbeat attitude toward capitalism, dropping to 47% positive this year — lower than in any of the three previous measures. Republicans remain much more positive about capitalism than about socialism, with little sustained change in their views of either since 2010.

Views About Capitalism and Socialism: by Party
Positive view of capitalism | Positive view of socialism

Democrats/Leaners
2018         47                57
2016          56               58
2012          55               53
2010          53               53

Republicans/Leaners
2018          71                16
2016          68               13
2012          72                23
2010          72                17

Gallup

These results are from Gallup interviewing conducted July 30-Aug. 5. Views of socialism among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are particularly important in the current political environment because many observers have claimed the Democratic Party is turning in more of a socialist direction.

Socialist Bernie Sanders competitively challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, and more recently, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a candidate with similar policy views and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the Democratic nomination in New York’s 14th Congressional District. Several candidates with socialist leanings lost their primary bids in Aug. 7 voting, however, raising doubts about the depth of Democrats’ embrace of socialism.

The current survey is the fourth time Gallup has measured Americans’ overall views of capitalism and socialism in this format. The question wording does not define “socialism” or “capitalism” but simply asks respondents whether their opinion of each is positive or negative.

Democrats’ and Republicans’ sharply contrasting views of the two economic systems are not unexpected, given the history of the two parties. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have notably positive views of capitalism and negative views of socialism. Democrats, by contrast, are less unified in their views, but by 10 percentage points are more positive about socialism than about capitalism.

Fewer Than Half of Young Americans View Capitalism Positively

Americans aged 18 to 29 are as positive about socialism (51%) as they are about capitalism (45%). This represents a 12-point decline in young adults’ positive views of capitalism in just the past two years and a marked shift since 2010, when 68% viewed it positively. Meanwhile, young people’s views of socialism have fluctuated somewhat from year to year, but the 51% with a positive view today is the same as in 2010.

Older Americans have been consistently more positive about capitalism than socialism. For those 50 and older, twice as many currently have a positive view of capitalism as of socialism.

Views About Capitalism and Socialism: by Age

Positive view of capitalism | Positive view of socialism

18-29

30-49

50-64

65+

Gallup

Taken as a Whole, Americans More Positive About Capitalism

A majority of Americans have retained a positive view of capitalism over the past eight years, but this year’s 56% positive rating is by four points the lowest recorded since 2010. This modest drop in positive attitudes toward capitalism was driven, as reviewed above, by the less positive attitudes among Democrats.

Despite the increasing prominence of socialism in the public discourse in recent years, little has changed in Americans’ attitudes toward the concept at the national level. Americans’ positive views of socialism have varied only between 35% and 39%, with this year’s reading of 37% right at the trend average.

Americans Remain Most Positive About Small Business, Entrepreneurs

The Gallup question asking Americans about their views of capitalism and socialism included five other entities: big business, small business, entrepreneurs, the federal government and free enterprise.

As in the past, Americans are most positive about small business, entrepreneurs and free enterprise, and less so about big business. Views of the federal government are, along with views of socialism, the least positive of any of the seven concepts measured.

Americans’ positive views of several of the eight items tested are slightly less positive this year than in 2016, including a six-point drop in positive views of free enterprise.

To see the graphs and the remainder of this article, click read more.

Source: Democrats More Positive About Socialism Than Capitalism