CBS News Poll Finds 58% of Democrats Have a Positive View of Socialism
“Socialism finds more positive views among Democrats with college degrees than those without.”
New polling from CBS News finds that more than half of Democrats have a favorable view of socialism, especially among Democrats with a college degree.
As Victor Davis Hanson and many others have pointed out, the rise of Democratic Socialism is directly linked to education, particularly higher education.
From CBS News:
CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism, and how Americans see parties in today’s economy
Most Americans believe a free market system is a good thing.
Americans are net-negative on socialism. Capitalism is better-liked.
But those ideas aside, right now they say it’s harder now to do things like buy a house, raise a family, and to just feel financially secure than for the last generation. Younger people are especially apt to feel opportunities are fewer.
So most also call the current U.S. economic system unfair, in terms of the way it works for chances to get ahead.
That has downstream effects on politics, including those seen in this year’s Democratic primary battles:
The Democratic rank-and-file does have a higher view of socialism than capitalism.
It’s all set against a years-long backdrop of Americans’ bad ratings of the economy, and appears to have many questioning the broader system – or at least eyeing solutions unconstrained by the usual ideologies…
How these views are getting expressed in the parties
Unlike the public overall, Democrats are mostly positive on socialism and have a more favorable impression of it than of capitalism.
Socialism finds more positive views among Democrats with college degrees than those without. They’re even more likely to perceive a gap between the richest and the middle class. And less likely to say the Democratic Party is “effective.”
Younger Democrats more than older ones, and White Democrats more than other racial groups tend to have more favorable views of socialism.
In particular, Democrats feel socialism would make their own finances better and that on balance, capitalism makes them worse.
Pay close attention to that last part. Why would these people think that socialism would make their finances better? Because these idiots believe that ‘taxing the rich’ is going to transfer other people’s wealth to them. It won’t, of course. The government will easily find new ways to waste increased revenue.
The poll found that overall, capitalism is still more popular.
A CBS News poll found most Americans “have a more positive view of capitalism than they do of socialism,” CBS News’ Executive Director of Elections and Surveys @SalvantoCBS reports.
“There's always been these discussions of socialism, but they do tend to come out in tougher… pic.twitter.com/oX2zQADOS5
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 16, 2026
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was asked about this poll on Face the Nation. While he is not pro-socialism, his answer makes me think he is running in 2028. Watch:
A new @CBSNewsPoll finds 58% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism, and just 32% have a positive view of capitalism.
“I believe socialism is a failed experiment but I do believe that we need to get results for the American people,” Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) says. pic.twitter.com/5i5jb5dmpQ
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 16, 2026
Finally, I’d like you to watch this video, which was included in a story from the then taxpayer-funded NPR back in 2009. It’s called ‘Learn to Speak Tea Bag’ and it was meant to mock the rise of the Tea Party. It goes out of its way to mock fears about the rise of socialism.
We keep reliving this pattern.
Step 1: It's not really happening
Step 2: Yeah, it's happening, but it's not a big deal
Step 3: It's a good thing, actually
Step 4: People freaking out about it are the real problem
— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) June 14, 2021
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Comments
The No King crowd really wants a King. They just want their King, probably Obama, and not some other king.
On video, a 2008 voter stated, “I’se votin’ fo’ Obama, cuz he gonna pay off mah moe-gidge.”
The pervasive spread of stupidity reaps such beliefs.
Unsurprising. Demonrat voters are not the brightest of critters, though they will tell you they are, and how much they care about everything, except for the financially successful, Christians, Jews, facts, and law enforcement, which they hate.
The problem is that these people believe all the promises that the Marxists make, and never bother to look at the failures wrought by socialism/Marxism/communism all over the world.
Then again, they might not care. Bernie’s promises of Everything FREE and paid for by the “oligarchs” is appealing to those who are happy forcing others to pay their bills.
Just looking at these two con-artists, as they milk the covetous, lazy, stupid, and skill-less makes me sick.
Socialism finds more positive views among Democrats with college degrees than those without. Showing that a college degree does not necessarily make a person smarter. Could AOC define socialism if asked?
Have pity on them – the people who’ve gone to college have been brainwashed since grade school. You can’t get the grades with repeating verbatim what the teacher says.
Where were the parents when this was occurring?
“Could AOC define socialism if asked?”
“I’m not an economist. No, wait… I am.”
AOC: “Like, I’m sorry. What was the question?”
As Thomas Sowell pointed out, no one really knows what’s going on in the universities, except one knows that students are not being educated.
AOC: “Socialism…that’s like hanging out, and talking with people.”
Lord, how I hate that the Colorado flag is behind those two commie pukes. How my state has putrefied.
And thus the socialist wing of the party has taken the lead and gotten way out ahead of the rest of the party.
Chalk it up to 50 years of Culture Marxism being taught in Public Seminaries
I used to think Idiocracy was a social-commentary fantasy. I’ve come to believe it is a documentary.
But, but, but…. it’s Democratic Socialism!!!
Poll shows 58% of democrats don’t know what socialism is.
it ain’t just the Democrats and it ain’t just 58%.
I’ll give you dollars to doughnuts that over 85% of U.S. high school grads today couldn’t define socialism or give you examples of the past ills it’s produced – in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany, and even Britain.
I don’t think I better take that bet. Sounds kinda risky.
…But think they know it better than people that lived through it.
This is true. They’ve bought the lie that it’s “free health care” and other endless guv’ment benefits. That’s how it’s being framed by the Democrats and their bootlickers in the press. “Why do you oppose socialists? They just want to give everyone health care!”
As a small l Libertarian by inclination I’d argue that many folks on the left and the right have an opportunistic, self serving, malleable definition of ‘socialism’. IMO every govt mandated redistributionist program is at minimum Marxist adjacent and we have adopted a plethora of them since the ground work of technocratic/administrative rule was laid by the Wilson Administration, put into overdrive by FDR then supported and expanded in the subsequent decades until the Marxist origins of these redistributionist programs are forgotten/suppressed. When we point out the redistributionist reality of SSA and Medicare the slings and arrows come immediately from nearly every corner except Galt’s Gulch.
The larger point is that many on the right and the left refuse to acknowledge just how many socialist policies and programs we’ve allowed to be adopted and maintained in USA. Many will become fighting mad about labeling ‘their’ program as Marxist in nature much less suggest an end to or even a scaling back of ‘their’ program. That’s entirely by design of the technocrats to create another layer of dependency and widen public support for growth in size/scope and power of gov’t. The more people demand ‘no cuts/no changes’ to their program the more power the technocrats retain and easier it is for them to expand again.
“every govt mandated redistributionist program is at minimum Marxist adjacent and we have adopted a plethora of them’
Earlier today, I recommended someone web-search “NOT YOURS TO GIVE.” While re-reading it, I was struck by this passage:
“The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be intrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means.”
Ooh, remember direct taxes, capitation taxes, poll taxes? Things that were set up that way for a reason? (Well, in this case it was a consumption tax, but same idea,) None of this pansy Marxist “graduated tax burden” crap. That was the sort of thing that promoted hustle in yer bustle. The successful paid proportionally less taxes, so it paid to be successful,
IMO the only way we can restrict the bloat of govt is by switching to a flat tax for the bulk of our revenue with tariffs used in a supporting role in revenue generation but primarily as a way to defend US workers against the off shoring tendencies of globalists and faux libertarians.
I describe faux libertarians as those who always want whatever tax/regulatory policy is best for their business interest. That would include the corporatist shills who demand tax/regulation policy they want which just so happens to build a moat around their business b/c it eliminates competition from smaller companies. These are the same sorts who demand libertarian sounding tax and regulatory policy but never seem to materially support individual liberty such as 2A. Same folks who forget the USA isn’t an economic zone or an HoA but instead a Nation with Citizens whose individual economic and National security interests are supposed to come before the interests of foreign Nations, foreign citizens, imported cheap workers.
Now ask the ones with a favorable view to provide what they THINK socialism is that they think is positive.
Ima predict the real answer, even if they won’t cop to it, is power over others is what gets their juices flowing. Whether that’s confiscation of the fruits of labor, mandatory program participation, market distorting ‘nudges’ via +/- incentives by registration in the end it comes back to Karens demanding someone else do whatever that Karen wants instead of that person remaining free to exercise their individual liberty.
And this is why I was out doing firearms skill drills with some fellow concerned friends yesterday.
What’s that adage?
“You Can Vote Yourself Into Socialism But You Have to Shoot Your Way Out.”
National Socialism is definitely fave-rave among many in the expensively credentialed set.
Why is it that almost 3:4 college educate Democrats i.e. those who don’t work hard for their money have a positive view of socialism while those who do work hard for their money i.e. those with no college degree, don’t even have a majority supporting socialism? (49% positive, 19% negative, 32% no opinion. Contrast that with 71% positive, 16% negative, 13% undecided for college degree + types)
Is it those with money (and a college education) have been taught what to think, while those without money (and no college degree) have had to deal with reality instead?
Russia’s socialist revolution was led by the middle class, particularly those of the petty bourgeoisie. It would appear that in America too it is this class that drives support for communism. Interesting no?
The Khmer Rouge “killing fields” was planned by a guy with a PhD from the Sorbonne.
Socialism is faulty because it denies human nature. Capitalism is superior because it harnesses human nature. People are naturally aware of the problems that pervade their own environments, so they recognize the deficiencies and faults of the economic systems within which they live. No system is perfect. But the evils in both systems aren’t inherent, they’re the result of having people involved in running them. People corrupt all systems, running even theoretically perfect systems imperfectly (at best) and oppressively/extractively (at worst). So, the question is, “Do we want a corrupt but superior economic system or a corrupt and inferior economic system?”
Absolutely true that all forms of capitalism are superior to socialism/communism just as true free-market capitalism is superior to our current blended capitalist system. Both forms of capitalism excellent for the reasons you cite; harnessing human nature and allowing the self interest (greed) of individuals to work as THE incentive to create a product/service at price others will willingly pay and retain their fruit of their labor. The socialist/communist systems directly impede this while blended capitalism interferes by putting a govt thumb on the scale of the incentive structure to coerce/’nudge’ what would otherwise be free market choices.
100% of those sheep have no clue what socialism takes from you.
Wait until they (the young ones) find out that “free” health care means waiting 6 months or more to get an appointment with a doctor they didn’t choose. Wait until they find out that “free” grocery stores have only one kind of bread and the produce is rotten. Wait until they find out that having 5 roommates sharing a bathroom is no fun. They will be unhappy and finally understand what they voted for,,
Or that socialist/communist redistributionist schemes create strong disincentives to do more than the bare minimum. They stifle not just productivity but also squelch innovation b/c the rewards are confiscated and handed over to others who didn’t do diddly squat to earn them.
That really puts a crimp in the plans of the lazy to live high on the hog off the labor of others b/c suddenly the economic excess created by harnessing self interest under capitalism will vanish precisely b/c any excess is not just unrewarded but stolen away so the incentive for the folks capable of creating that excess stop doing so.
“We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us.”
We found out what a taste of socialism was like during the COVID scam.
And 58% of Democrats are useful idiots who think they’ll be running an artists’ commune and not be the first ones against the wall.
Implement socialized grades in high school and college starting this semester. You know the ones doing the work will turn capitalist within one or two semesters after having their grade stolen from the laziest of students.
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