A new poll from CBS/YouGov revealed that more than a third of Gen Z Americans have a favorable view of socialism. When asked what their “view of socialism” was, 9% of respondents said “very positive” and 26% said “somewhat positive.”
Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z respondents said they held a “very negative” view of socialism, and 14% were “somewhat negative.”
Despite the shift toward socialism compared to previous generations, younger Americans still hold onto capitalism, with 21% saying they hold a “very positive” view of the economic system and 25% saying they hold a “somewhat positive” view of capitalism.
Furthermore, 36% of respondents said capitalism makes their financial situation better, although 30% claimed it makes their situation worse.
“We’ve seen that polling and it’s definitely striking, but to us, it really tracks with the experience that so many younger people have,” national co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Ashik Siddique told The Hill. “Gen Z, especially by now, just like wasn’t even raised with a lot of the assumptions that I think millennials were,” he explained. “Seeing the condition of the world today, our government spending so much money on militarism and expanding ICE and giving tax cuts to the billionaires to the tune of trillions of dollars while public services are being cut for most Americans — it’s just like the contrast is really clear.”
A separate poll from the Cato Institute found that 53% of 18-29-year-olds favor socialism over capitalism (45%). Capitalism is still highly favored among those 65 and older compared to other generations, with 64% supporting the system.
