Socialism is more popular than capitalism among Democrats

Democrats have an increasingly negative view of capitalism. A Gallup poll published Monday found that more Democrats see socialism positively than capitalism, while Republicans largely prefer capitalism.

Gallup has been polling views on the two economic systems since 2010, and this year marks the first time that Democrats prefer socialism by a wide margin. While 57 percent of Democrats said they had a positive view of socialism, fairly consistent with the numbers of previous years, only 47 percent said they had a positive view of capitalism, a significant drop from 2016 when 56 percent viewed it positively.

Conversely, 71 percent of Republicans have positive views of capitalism, with just 16 percent viewing socialism positively. The poll did not define "socialism" or "capitalism," Gallup notes. Younger Americans, aged 18 to 29, are much more likely to take a positive view of socialism, though as a whole the demographic sees both systems about equally.

While a majority of Democrats have viewed socialism positively for several years, 2018 is the first time that positive view surpassed the popularity of capitalism. Gallup notes that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have brought socialism into the mainstream, while President Trump's enthusiastically capitalist leanings may be pushing Democrats leftward. See more poll results at Gallup.