Gen Z Goes Red as Socialism Surges Among Young Americans
62% of young Americans now view socialism favorably, though how far will they go?
Is socialism on the rise in America?
With self-ascribed democratic socialists like Zohran Mamdani making waves through his unapologetically left-wing policy platform and impressive digital campaigning skills, the question is once again in the spotlight.
It turns out younger Americans are rapidly warming up to the idea of socialism, though not necessarily some of the more hardline actions associated with it.
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Polling from YouGov for the CATO Institute in March explored American views on wealth and capitalism. It is unsurprising to learn that a majority of Americans (59%) hold a favorable view of capitalism, while 41 percent do not.
As will become a trend, younger Americans are much more skeptical than their older counterparts. The survey found 18 to 29-year-olds evenly split, with 50 percent holding a favorable view of capitalism. Among 30 to 44-year-olds, 52 percent viewed capitalism unfavorably while 48 percent viewed it favorably.
The older you get, the more favorable you are toward capitalism. Among those aged 45 to 64, 64 percent expressed a favorable view, and those over 65 were even more supportive, at 73 percent.
That trend is completely reversed when Americans are asked how they feel about socialism.
While a majority of respondents had an unfavorable view of socialism (57%), a notable share (43%) view the ideology favorably. Younger Americans are again the most supportive, with 62 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds viewing socialism favorably. This is the only age group where support surpasses 50 percent.
Even among 30 to 44-year-olds, nearly half (48%) view socialism favorably. As expected, support declines with age, as just 32 percent of those over 65 hold a favorable view.
Perhaps even more striking is that 67 percent of Democrats say they view socialism favorably. Among Independents, that number is 41 percent, while only 17 percent of Republicans say the same.
What about more specific left-wing economic proposals? The survey asked Americans whether they believe wealth should be taken from the rich and given to the poor, or in other words, support for wealth redistribution.
Only 35 percent of Americans supported the idea, while 65 percent opposed it, though the question is much more black and white than might otherwise be proposed in reality.
As expected, younger Americans were more supportive, with a majority (52%) of 18 to 29-year-olds agreeing with the idea. The only other age group to exceed 40 percent support was those aged 30 to 44, where 42 percent agreed, though they were outnumbered by the 58 percent who disagreed.
The survey also asked whether Americans believe it is immoral for society to allow people to become billionaires, echoing the popular idea that every billionaire represents a policy failure.
This question received even less support, with only 29 percent agreeing it is immoral to allow billionaires to exist. A strong majority (71%) disagreed. Not even 18 to 29-year-olds broke even, with 46 percent agreeing and 54 percent disagreeing.
Interestingly, those numbers are fairly low, given that many Americans say they feel resentment toward the rich. Forty-six percent expressed resentment, while 54 percent said they admire the wealthy.
One final standout question asked whether Americans believe violent action against the rich is ever justified. Overall, 21 percent said it is sometimes justified, while 79 percent said it is never justified.
The youngest Americans stood out most, with forty percent of 18 to 29-year-olds saying violence is sometimes justified, compared to 29 percent of 30 to 44-year-olds. Fewer than 15 percent of Americans over 45 agreed that such actions are ever justified.