US voters ‘strongly prefer’ capitalism over socialism

US voters “strongly prefer” capitalism to socialism, a sentiment that has risen since April 2021, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll.

Only 17% of the 900 likely American voters polled between February 5 and 7 prefer socialism to capitalism. Sixty-seven percent prefer capitalism, down from 65% in 2021, according to the survey, which has a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points and a confidence level of 95%.

Voters strongly prefer capitalism to socialism, and a majority would not vote for an avowed socialist.https://t.co/rh8kl8FY41 pic.twitter.com/k2dpGMtLpM

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) February 19, 2023

The results come after the House of Representatives passed a Republican-led resolution condemning “the horrors of socialism.” Cuban-American Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) presented the anti-socialism resolution, a symbolic decision that declares the country “founded on the belief in the sanctity of the individual, to which the collectivist system of socialism in all its forms is fundamentally and necessarily opposed.

The text of the resolution notes that “many of the greatest crimes in history” were committed by socialist ideologues such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Hugo Chavez.

“Whereas socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and again broken down in communist regimes, totalitarian regimes and brutal dictatorships,” the resolution reads.

The resolution ultimately passed in a bipartisan fashion, with 328 votes in favor and 86 votes against. House Republicans unanimously backed the bill, along with 126 House Democrats.

RECORDED NEW HOUSE VOTE (106)
H CON RES 9https://t.co/e5mvJykFxF pic.twitter.com/WyD9P1tGgG

—CATargetBot (@CATargetBot) February 2, 2023

The poll further revealed that 53% of voters would not vote for a candidate who supports socialism. Twenty-eight percent of poll respondents said they would vote for a candidate who supports socialism, and 19 percent are unsure.

Broken down by political affiliation, Republicans are more likely to support capitalism and oppose socialism.

“Eighty-one percent (81%) of Republicans think capitalism is a better system than socialism, a view shared by 58% of Democrats and 62% of voters unaffiliated with either another of the major parties,” the poll report said. “More than a quarter of Democrats (26%) favor socialism, compared to 11% of Republicans and 15% of unaffiliated voters.

Democrats (47%) are much more likely than Republicans and unaffiliated voters to vote for a candidate who says they support socialism. Seventy-four percent of Republican voters and 51 percent of unaffiliated voters would not vote for a candidate who supports socialism.

Many voters think America is “heading toward socialism,” the poll report said.

“Twenty-eight percent (28%) say the US economy today is at least partly socialist, including eight percent (8%) who say the US economy is generally socialist. That’s down slightly from April 2021, when 30% thought the U.S. economy was at least partly socialist,” the survey found.

The drift towards socialism could be partly due to the declining preference of young voters for capitalism. The poll found that only 45% of voters under 40 say capitalism is better than socialism, while strong majorities of all other age groups support capitalism. More than a third (34%) of voters under 40 think socialism is better, compared to 11% of voters aged 40-64 and 7% of voters 65 and older.