A new Fox News poll showed that more Democrats favor socialism over capitalism, in a sharp reversal from just a year and a half ago.
The poll, taken between Aug. 7-10, showed that 59% of registered Democratic voters who participated had a positive view of socialism, compared to just 49% who felt that way about capitalism.
In February 2020, when the question was last asked, 50% of Democrats who participated said they had a favorable view of capitalism, with just 40% saying the same about socialism.
The poll showed that 44% of Democrats had an unfavorable view of capitalism, and 31% had a negative view of socialism.
Of the Republicans polled, 67% viewed capitalism favorably, and 8% had a favorable view of socialism.
The trend toward socialism among Democrats comes at a time when members of Congress such as self-described democratic socialists Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have had a growing influence on Democratic politics. Sanders, as chair of the Senate Budget Committee, has been leading a charge to pass a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill that he says is aimed at addressing wealth inequality.
That bill would provide for government-funded programs such as tuition-free pre-K and community college, as well as the expansion of Medicare, which Sanders ultimately would like to be changed to a universal socialized health care system.
This is on top of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that the Senate recently passed. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has said even that is a “gateway to socialism” and a “down payment on the Green New Deal.”
