U.S. Views of Democratic Socialism

Food For Thought , By Peter Dreier

April 28, 2022

 

Despite over a century of anti-socialist propaganda, it is remarkable that 38% of all Americans over 18 have a positive view of socialism, according to a Gallup Poll survey conducted in October 2021.

 

• There are 258 million Americans over 18, according to the 2020 Census. That means that 98 million Americans have a positive view of socialism. 

 

• The same poll found that 47% of Americans between 18 and 34 have a positive view of socialism.

 

• There are 76 million Americans between 18 and 34. That means that 36 million Americans between 18 and 34 have a positive view of socialism.

 

• The same poll found that 65% of Democrats (compared with 40% of independents and 10% of Republicans have a positive view of socialism. 

 

• The same poll found that 43% of women and 34% of men (over 18) have a positive view of socialism.

 

• In addition, 54% of non-white Americans over 18  compared with 31% of white Americans over 18 have a positive view of socialism.

• Finally, 44% of Americans who are high school grads or less, 30% of Americans who have some college education, and 40% of college graduates have a positive view of socialism.

[You have to link to the cross-tabs in the article below to get these numbers. Here's the link: [file:///C:/Users/Peter%20Dreier/Downloads/211206EconomicTerms%20(1).pdf ]

 

Any way you look at it, this is a huge number of people who have a positive view of socialism. Even if many or most of them can't specifically define what they mean by socialism, they are open to the idea.

 

The nation's largest socialist organization, the Democratic Socialists of America, has grown from about 6,000 members in 2015 to about 100,000 members today. 

 

Plus, as we've seen in the past six years - since Bernie Sanders ran for president the first time -- a significant number of Americans are willing to vote for candidates who call themselves "socialists" or "democratic socialists." 

 

Another Gallup Poll, conducted in January 2020, found that 45% of Americans said they would be willing to vote for a socialist for president. More specifically, 76% of Democrats, 45% of Independents, and 17% of Republicans said they would be willing to do so. 

 

Currently there are more than 100 members of DSA who have been elected to municipal, county, state or national (House and Senate) offices, and many more who were endorsed by DSA. 

 

*Peter Dreier is a Professor of Politics at Occidental College.