Socialism's Positive View Hits Record High Among Americans, Gallup Poll Finds

Forty-three percent of Americans now hold a positive view of socialism, the highest percentage recorded since 2010, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. This marks a significant shift as 55% of Americans continue to view capitalism positively.

The poll, conducted in August, surveyed Americans' perceptions of socialism, capitalism, free enterprise, big business, and small business. While socialism's favorability has increased, views on big business have dropped 14 points since 2010, free enterprise is down 9 points, and capitalism has seen a 6-point decrease. Small business remains the only category to retain its support level.

The surge in positive views toward socialism was largely driven by Democrats, whose favorable opinion rose from 50% in 2010 to 66% last year. However, this year's increase is notably attributed to political independents, whose positive rating for socialism jumped from 37% to 45%.

Among Democrats, 65% view socialism positively, contrasting with 14% of Republicans. A senior political advisor at Third Way, Lucas Holtz, suggested that the poll reflects dissatisfaction with the economic status quo rather than widespread adoption of socialist policies. "When we look a single layer beneath to ask whether voters support socialist policies, support completely collapses," Holtz stated, citing a Third Way poll where Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents favored "capitalism with guardrails" over socialism by a 24-point margin. He also pointed to an Echelon Insights poll indicating that socialism is 33 points underwater with independents, and that policies such as abolishing police and prisons, ending immigration detention, and government ownership of infrastructure make voters less likely to support a candidate.

Views on economic systems also varied by age group. Adults aged 18 to 34 view socialism more positively than capitalism (57% vs. 43%), while those aged 55 and older favor capitalism over socialism (65% vs. 34%). Adults aged 35 to 54 reported similar favorability for both systems.

A professor of political science at Northeastern University, Costas Panagopoulos, commented that for independents, perceptions of socialism are gaining favor partly because they feel "betrayed, overlooked or neglected by modern American capitalism."

The Gallup poll's findings align with a trend of increasing visibility for socialist political candidates, some of whom have recently won primary elections. In New York, Zohran Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, was sworn in as mayor this year and was instrumental in the primary victories of three congressional candidates: Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier.