An increasingly large share of Democrats view socialism more favorably than capitalism, a troubling new Gallup poll shows.
Only 42% of Democrats said they have a positive view of capitalism, compared to 66% who asserted a positive view of socialism, Gallup found. As Democrats seek to redefine their party after the devastating 2024 defeat, the finding indicates the base is increasingly open to the socialist policy ideas promoted by party leaders.
By contrast, 74% of Republicans reported a favorable view of capitalism, with only 14% viewing socialism favorably, according to the survey conducted between Aug. 1 and 20 among 1,094 U.S. adults.
Overall, 54% of Americans reported a positive view of capitalism, down from 60% in 2021 and marking the lowest level since Gallup began tracking the question in 2010. Favorable views of socialism increased slightly, from 36% to 39%, during the same period.
Democrats have expressed a more favorable view of socialism than capitalism since 2016, according to Gallup.
The shift is evident in New York City, where Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor. If elected in November, Mamdani plans to raise the minimum wage to $30, launch a variety of taxpayer-funded programs — including government-run grocery stores — and impose higher taxes on what he describes as “richer and whiter” neighborhoods.
Mamdani has drawn the endorsement of prominent progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. However, other Democrat leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, have been slower to embrace him.
Meanwhile, Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson see Mamdani’s candidacy as a gift to the GOP during the 2026 midterms.
“Democrats, who have learned nothing from their historic defeat in 2024, are rallying around a radical, Antisemitic, abolish-ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], defund-the-police, big-government Marxist,” Johnson told the Daily Caller News Foundation in July following Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory. “Comrade Mamdani’s extreme views are bad news for New York City, but great news for House Republicans.”
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