More than 4 in 10 Americans view socialism positively for the first time since Gallup started polling the issue 16 years ago, according to a survey published Wednesday.
A new high of 43% of adult respondents to the research firm’s latest poll expressed a “positive view” of socialism, which bans private ownership of major industries and places them under government control.
That’s up from 39% of adults surveyed last year and 36% in 2010, the first year Gallup posed the question.
“Capitalism, free enterprise and especially big business are viewed less positively than they once were, while socialism has gained ground,” said Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. social research.
“Those changes have been most pronounced among Democrats and younger adults, but this year’s uptick in socialism’s appeal reflects a novel shift among independents,” she added in a summary of the findings.
Ms. Saad noted that Democrats drove most of the increase in socialism’s popularity from 2010 to 2025, as their favorable views rose from 50% to 66%. But she pointed out that the past year’s uptick “comes entirely” from self-identified political independents, whose favorable impression of socialism jumped from 37% to 45%.
Gallup reported that the share of adults with a positive view of free enterprise, the nation’s system of private businesses largely free of government control, dropped from 86% in 2010 to 81% last year and 77% this year. Positive views of big business dropped from 49% in 2010 to 37% last year and 35% this year.
Positive views of capitalism, the nation’s system of for-profit businesses owning major industries, dropped from 61% in 2010 to 55% this year.
Small businesses led the ratings at 95% favorability, unchanged from 2010 and last year.
Gallup did not explain the shift in attitudes. Ms. Saad noted that men, Republicans, people aged 55 and older and Americans earning at least $100,000 a year were more likely than others to favor free economic systems over socialism.
Michael New, a professor of social research at the Catholic University of America, said socialism is on the rise because a growing number of Americans are struggling financially and have no experience of the world before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
“Many Americans have no memory of the Cold War or the poor economic conditions of socialist Eastern European countries,” Mr. New said in an email.
He said that a growing number of politicians self-identifying as democratic socialists have given socialism “legitimacy and credibility” among Democrats and left-leaning independents.
Gallup conducted a randomized national telephone survey of 1,200 adults on Aug. 3-24. The margin of error was 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
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