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New Gallup Poll Shows Democrats Are Officially The Party Of Socialism

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More Democrats have a favorable view of socialism than those who have a favorable view of capitalism, according to a Gallup poll.

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More Democrats have a favorable view of socialism than those who have a favorable view of capitalism, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Of Democrats and those who lean Democrat surveyed, only 47 percent had a favorable view of capitalism, down from 56 percent in 2016. Fifty-seven percent said they viewed socialism favorably, which is within the margin of error (+\- 3 percent) from the 58 percent of Democrats who viewed socialism favorably in 2016.

By contrast, 71 percent of Republicans had a favorable view of capitalism — a number that is within the margin of error from the 68 percent who viewed it favorably in 2016. Only 16 percent of Republicans said they viewed socialism favorably, which is also within the margin of error from the 13 percent of those who viewed it favorably when Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was on the campaign trail seeking the Democratic nomination for president two years ago.

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Views of socialism and capitalism have remained largely unchanged among Republicans since 2010, whereas Democrats’ view of capitalism has declined by 6 percent since 2010.

Young Americans — defined in this poll as those between 18 and 29 years of age — view socialism significantly more favorably than older Americans. Fifty one percent of those within that age cohort view socialism favorably, which has stayed largely consistent since 2010. But the number of young Americans who view capitalism favorably has fallen from 68 percent in 2010 to 45 percent in 2018. Among those 65 years and older, only 28 percent said they had a favorable view of socialism, while 60 percent said they had a favorable view of capitalism.

Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is projected to win a New York congressional seat this November, has advocated for socialist policies in her time on the campaign trail alongside Sanders. Ocasio-Cortez’s embrace of socialism marks a significant departure from her views as a student at Boston College just a few years ago, when she favored Adam Smith’s ideology about the free market and said feminism was a “relic.”