According to a new Harris poll conducted for “Axios on HBO,” an increasing number of Americans have a positive view of socialism.
While about 40 percent in all categories preferred socialism to a capitalist system, that number went up when it came to women. Roughly 55 percent of women said that a socialist America was preferable to a capitalist country. For those wondering if this might be more of a generation gap than gender, those surveyed were between 18 and 54 years of age.
Overall, more of the men surveyed preferred a capitalist country to a socialist one.
“It’s been a truth of American politics for decades that women are to the left of men, and I think that’s playing out in this poll,” Axios’ Felix Salmon said.
That said, respondents didn’t agree on the specifics of what constitutes “socialism.” 49 percent said a socialist system is “dependent on dictatorship.” 57 percent said “state-controlled media and communication” is what defines socialism, and 61 percent believed “state control and regulation of private property” is integral to such a system.
A new Harris poll shows that 55% of women between the ages of 18 and 54 support socialism.https://t.co/odmu8nEnai
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 10, 2019
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This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Results are weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, household income, education, and size of household where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population using U.S census data.
These poll results come at a time with prominent Democrats embrace the “socialist” label openly and enthusiastically. Not only high profile members of Congress like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but top 2020 Democratic contenders like Bernie Sanders, not to mention Elizabeth Warren have wrapped their arms around the philosophy.
It’s as if the old Soviet Union, Cuba and China never existed. Do these people know any history?
In his last State of the Union, President Donald Trump vowed that America would never become a socialist country. Knowing the unspeakable tragedies that evil philosophy has created everywhere it has been tried, the president’s words need to be repeated as often and as firmly as possible.