Bad news for Bernie: Americans will vote for many types of people, but not socialists

As the 2016 primaries draw near, this cycle's presidential candidates offer voters a diversity of options in terms of age, race, sex, experience, and religion. But Americans aren't equally interested in sampling all those choices.

While nearly 7 in 10 would happily vote a woman into the Oval Office and Latino identity is a positive (especially among Republicans), socialism doesn't get clear support even among self-identified liberal Democrats. Fewer than 40 percent of Democrats of all stripes say they would definitely vote for a socialist candidate like Bernie Sanders, and opposition hits 50 percent among independent voters and 77 percent among Republicans.

Other attributes leave voters more divided. Both political experience and the lack of it get mixed support and opposition, as does being a Seventh Day Adventist like Republican candidate Ben Carson.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up