Civic Register
| 5.27.19

43% of Americans say Socialism Would Be Good For the Country – Do You Agree?

Do you think socialism would be good for the country?

What’s the story?

  • 43% of Americans believe that some sort of socialism would be good for the country while 51% say it would be bad, according to a recent Gallup survey.

What are the numbers?

  • 43% of Americans say socialism would be a good thing for the country.
  • 51% believe socialism would be a bad thing for the country.
  • 6% have no opinion
  • Gallup contrasts these numbers with a 1942 Roper/Fortune survey which found 40% describing socialism as a bad thing, 25% a good thing, and 34% of Americans having no opinion.

Trump: “America will never be a socialist country”

  • In March, President Donald Trump denounced Democrats as the party of “the socialist nightmare” and vowed America will never succumb to the threat of socialism.
"We believe in the American dream, not in the socialist nightmare," he said to boisterous applause at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “America will never be a socialist country. Socialism is not about the environment, it’s not about justice, it is not about virtue. Socialism is about only one thing: it’s called power for the ruling class.”

What is Democratic Socialism?

While the tenets of democratic socialism vary depending on whom you ask, because the largest (and most well-known) organization is the Democratic Socialists of America, we’ll use DSA to explain the term.

Policies the DSA supports

  • “Social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect” with the end goal of meeting public needs instead of turning a profit.
  • Nationalizing the entire healthcare industry through a single-payer system (“Medicare for All”).
  • Ending “the influence of money in politics.”
  • Strengthening unions.
  • A federal jobs guarantee.
  • Abolishing ICE.
  • Restoring Glass-Steagall protections.
  • Free and legal abortions.
  • Tuition-free college.
  • Rent control because “housing is a human right.”
  • Equal rights and protections for all those who identify as LGBTQIA+, including rights to jobs, education, housing, and healthcare.
  • Restructuring “gender and cultural relationships to be more equitable.”

What do you think?

Do you think socialism would be bad for the country? Or do you support socialist policies? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Michael Vadon via Flickr)