Gallup Poll: Democrats Want Socialism To Replace Capitalism

A new Gallup poll shows that the majority of Democrats now prefer socialism to capitalism, signalling the new extreme direction of the party just months ahead of November’s midterms.

The survey finds that “for the first time in Gallup’s measurement over the past decade, Democrats have a more positive image of socialism than they do of capitalism.”

Just eight years prior, 53% of those asks said they held a positive view of socialism. That number has risen to 57% in 2018. Those numbers widen further when liberal voters were asked for their views of capitalism, with just 47% viewing it favorably in 2018.

“Perhaps most telling, the sharpest drop in Democratic support for capitalism is recent. In 2016, capitalism was viewed positively by 56% of those leaning Democrat. In 2018, that number dropped to 47%. That is a drop of 9% of Democrats who view capitalism positively in just the last two years,” the Daily Caller writes.

Daily Caller reports: With the rise in popularity of such socialists as 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and 2018 congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gallup noted, “Views of socialism among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are particularly important in the current political environment because many observers have claimed the Democratic Party is turning in more of a socialist direction.”

Fox news anchor Bret Baier tweeted this observation about the Gallup poll: “This will not help with House or Senate Dem seats in red or purple states — and there are quite a few of them.”

This will not help with House or Senate Dem seats in red or purple states — and there are quite a few of them. https://t.co/ZNX8rFrfpP

— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) August 13, 2018

Perhaps not surprisingly, Gallup found that Republican support of capitalism remained strong. It was viewed positively by 72% in 2010 and 71% in 2018. Socialism was viewed positively by only 17% of Republicans in 2010 and 16% in 2018.