Democrats embrace socialism while Americans doubt both parties on economy

A new survey reveals a peculiar moment in American politics: most people still believe in free markets in theory, but they've grown skeptical of whether the system actually works for them. And within the Democratic Party, a significant shift is underway—one that breaks sharply with how the broader public thinks about capitalism and socialism.

The CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted in mid-August with 2,287 nationally representative adults, found that while capitalism remains more popular than socialism overall, Democrats have moved in the opposite direction. Unlike the general public, which views capitalism favorably and socialism unfavorably, Democrats are now more positive about socialism than capitalism. The gap is especially pronounced among college-educated Democrats, younger Democrats, and white Democrats—groups that also tend to perceive a wider gap between the richest and the middle class, and who are less likely to believe their own party is effective.

What people mean by these words matters. When asked to define socialism in their own terms, respondents offered strikingly different answers depending on their politics. Republicans and independents tended to focus on government control or government ownership—the machinery of the state. Democrats, by contrast, spoke of equality, fairness, and public services. The same label carried different weight depending on who was using it. Half of all Democrats view the term "democratic socialist" positively, with younger and more liberal Democrats most enthusiastic. For other Democrats, it registers as neutral rather than off-putting.

The underlying anxiety driving these shifts is real and widespread. Most Americans say the current economic system is unfair, that it doesn't give people genuine chances to get ahead. Younger people feel this acutely—they report fewer opportunities than their parents had, and they struggle with basics like buying a home and raising a family. This perception of unfairness correlates directly with how people view socialism: those who see the system as rigged are more likely to view socialism favorably, at least as an idea.

Within the Democratic Party itself, there is a fault line. About half of Democrats say the party is as progressive as they want it to be. The other half says it's not progressive enough. Those in the latter camp are more liberal, hold more favorable views of socialism, and crucially, they don't believe the party agrees with them on economic issues. When Democrats do present economic policies, their base wants to see big, transformative changes, not incremental ones—even when smaller steps might be easier to achieve. What matters most is the feeling that the party is fighting for them.

Both major parties face credibility problems with voters. Republicans are seen as extreme but also ineffective. Democrats are seen as weak and ineffective. Yet there is one area where Americans show surprising consensus: they believe younger people in elected office would make politics better. Democrats especially feel this way. In a primary season marked by some incumbents losing to younger challengers, this preference for generational change may reshape which candidates voters support and which messages resonate.

The poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, captures a public caught between competing impulses. In principle, most Americans still favor free markets. In practice, they doubt the system delivers fairness. And within the Democratic Party, a growing faction has concluded that the old ideological categories—capitalism versus socialism—no longer capture what they're actually asking for: a system that feels less rigged, more responsive, and genuinely committed to their survival.