Poll Demonstrates Nearly Half of Young Americans Back Democratic Socialism

A new poll focusing on young people’s political views finds that, by a two-to-one margin, they tend to support rather than oppose the idea of democratic socialism.

The CNBC/Generation Lab poll published earlier this week, which focused on the opinions of Americans between the ages of 18-34, asked respondents if they had favorable views of the political and economic system of governance. Only 23 percent of those surveyed said they had an unfavorable view of democratic socialism, while 46 percent said they had a favorable opinion of it.

Souring views of the current capitalist economy may help to explain why this younger group of Americans is more likely to back the idea of democratic socialism than their older cohorts. Asked how they would describe the current state of the U.S. economy, 78 percent said it is either “bad,” “very bad,” or “couldn’t be worse.” Only 17 percent said it was “pretty good,” while a dismal 5 percent said it was “great” or “couldn’t be better.”

What’s more, young Americans are not confident that the economy is going to improve anytime soon, with 50 percent of respondents agreeing that the economy is only going to get worse in the future. Only 22 percent said they thought it would get better.

Changing views on democratic socialism come as more progressive Democrats, including those espousing democratic socialist viewpoints, are challenging establishment candidates or incumbents across the country.

For example, in Wisconsin this week, state Rep. Francesca Hong (D), a self-avowed democratic socialist, lost a gubernatorial primary election against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (D) by just 3,796 votes, out of more than 792,000 ballots cast in the August 11 race. Hong’s challenge to an establishment candidate in a state that is traditionally “purple” indicates that voters overall — not just young ones — are giving more consideration to democratic socialists.

Indeed, a CNBC survey published last month found that democratic socialism was more appealing to voters than President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. The poll, which asked voters which political labels would make them more likely to support a candidate, found that 32 percent said they were more supportive of candidates self-identifying as democratic socialists, compared with 27 percent who said the same of candidates who identified as MAGA supporters.

Additionally, a Working Families Party/Justice Research Group poll in July also found openness from swing district voters to back candidates pushing for swift change, rather than those pushing for slow, incremental reforms, with 58 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement, “government needs leaders who will challenge the political establishment and fight for major change.” Nearly two-thirds of voters in that poll (64 percent) said they also agreed with the statement that “the country’s political and economic systems need fundamental change, not just small adjustments,” signaling a readiness for bold reforms like those pushed by democratic socialists.