All the spade work done by Democrats in attacking capitalism since Donald Trump became president is paying off handsomely; according to a new Gallup poll. For the first time in at least eight years, Democrats view socialism more positively than capitalism. 57% of respondents who either identified as Democrats or as leaning Democrat had a positive image of socialism; only 47% felt the same way about capitalism.
Notably, the percentage of Democrats viewing socialism favorably has changed slightly upward since 2010, when 53% of them had a positive view of socialism. But the Democrats’ positive feelings regarding capitalism have soured considerably and quite quickly over the last two years; in 2016, 56% of them viewed capitalism favorably.
As you might expect, support for capitalism among Republicans has remained powerful; in 2010 72% viewed capitalism favorably; that percentage is 71% today. And GOP voters’ disdain for socialism is equally as strong: 17% viewed it positively in 2010; 16% do so today.
When respondents’ feelings about socialism are broken into age groups, it’s clear that the lure of socialism is more successful among younger voters. 51% of respondents aged 18-29 viewed socialism favorably compared to 41% of those aged 30-49, 30% of those aged 50-64, and 28% of those 65 and older.
In fact, among those 50 and older, twice as many people viewed capitalism favorably than they did socialism.
Gallup notes, “ … although a majority — even if not an overwhelming one — of Democrats nationwide react positively to the word ‘socialism, the strong antipathy toward socialism among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents suggests a political campaign favorable to socialism would not play well in a general election.”