Socialism is breaking through the mainstream this year, with surveys showing that a majority of Democrats and a large number of independents now view the term favorably.
The shift has been led in particular by young people, who have also helped left-wing populist candidates win this year’s high-stakes primaries. A June Cato Institute poll found that more than half of Gen Z favored socialism (53%) over capitalism (45%). According to an August Gallup poll, more than half (57%) of people aged 18 to 34 have a positive view of socialism, compared with just 34% of those over 55.
The numbers emboldened socialist organizers and frightened Republicans, who in their midterm messages accused Democrats of sliding toward “communism.”
But I heard a little secret during a focus group focused on Gen Z at my research, media and strategy firm — it’s not “socialism” that appeals to young voters. In fact, there is little agreement on what the word really means.
Instead, these candidates are resonating with the social policies they promote — things like affordable housing, health care, education, a higher minimum wage and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
Over the summer, I asked Gen Z voters to define socialism. There is no consensus answer, but focus less on “worker control of the means of production” mentioned by a 22-year-old woman in New Jersey and more on the “social safety net” described by a 21-year-old man in Florida.
Understanding where they come from is important for critics and supporters alike: revolutionaries and reactionaries who think young people are embracing a particular ideology are misreading the moment. When it comes to the rise of “socialism,” young people want what they’ve always wanted: to be heard, to be helped.
Why socialism resonates with Gen Z
Gen Z’s interest in the term goes hand-in-hand with the various deteriorations in their economic prospects over the past year.
“I feel like things have definitely changed in the last year. You can see that even in gas prices. … A lot of it has to do with the fact that our country is involved in a lot of different conflicts around the world right now,” said the 21-year-old from Florida.
“During the school year, I relied on the school’s refund to pay my rent, car payment and car insurance, phone bill, internet bill, etc.,” said another 21-year-old man from Pennsylvania.
A 21-year-old woman from North Carolina said, “I can’t financially plan my education the way I imagined and have been needing to save more of my own money from the job I’m working on to help account for these disparities.”
As economic anxiety reshapes politics for Generation Z and life becomes increasingly unaffordable, young people are looking to governments for social support.
This summer, I’ve been asking a group of young people what they want from ideal political candidates, and from government more broadly. An overwhelming majority told me they support politicians who understand ordinary people and governments that provide social services to their constituents.
“A political candidate who understands ordinary people. Someone who is not disconnected financially, someone who is not taking money from different companies. Someone who understands the struggles of ordinary Americans, who understands the economic situation, who can understand the struggles of students, children and families,” said a 21-year-old woman from Michigan.
“Provide a higher safety net of benefits, especially for hospitals, because of the ‘Big and Beautiful Bill’ and its impact,” said a 19-year-old from New York City, citing the impact of the Trump administration’s recent tax bill that slashed health care spending.
“A candidate who has the guts to say we deserve more as citizens,” said another 19-year-old woman from Michigan.
According to many young voters I interviewed, in their eyes, this is what socialism is about: a more ambitious, more generous, more egalitarian government. When I asked them to tell me about their policies related to democratic socialists, they talked about “Medicare for All,” “help with college tuition,” and “social safety nets like health care, public education, public housing.”
Young people see where socialism works
In their fight against the growing popularity of socialism, critics often cite history, arguing that Marxist governments used force and coercion to establish equality and were associated with poverty and deprivation.
“They’ve gone to communism, but we’re not going to let that happen,” President Donald Trump said at a rally in South Carolina in August. “In a thousand years it’s never had a different name, a lot of different names. It’s never succeeded once.”
Just as Gen Z was considered “woke” Democrats four years ago and then strongly supported Trump and MAGA in 2024, the shift to socialism is also conditional.
Overall, however, the young people I spoke to were less likely to associate socialism with “communism” or places like Cuba, Venezuela or the Soviet Union. Instead, they gave examples of where they believed socialism worked well, often mentioning wealthy Western countries and the social support systems associated with such governments.
“I think the Scandinavian countries and those countries have developed socialist policies and people will finally have universal health care and people will be able to live more comfortably and get more money from the government to support them,” said a 21-year-old woman from Massachusetts. “I know Canada has some socialist policies that I think benefit people in terms of health care, welfare and social security.”
This is not surprising. While our parents and grandparents may recall years away from Marxist governments (even the oldest Gen Zers were born long after the end of the Cold War), younger people are more focused on social policy than on the core tenets of socialism.
“The first thing that comes to mind is government involvement to make sure that everyone is taken care of and that everyone’s health is still a priority, despite income differences,” said the 21-year-old woman from Massachusetts. “I think it makes me look at socialism in a more positive light because some people obviously don’t have the same financial situation as others. That doesn’t mean they should be undervalued in society.”
Liking socialism does not mean agreeing with socialism
But just as critics of socialism misunderstand its appeal among young voters, its supporters should be wary of whether voters will support their movement.
I hear anecdotes like the one shared above over and over again. Yet few of the young people I have interviewed over the past few months are willing to call themselves socialists.
This is consistent with Gen Z’s broader suspicion of political parties. While they favor policies associated with “socialism,” they still largely reject the label—whether that label is Republican, Democratic, or…socialist.
Asked whether she considers herself a democratic socialist or a socialist, the 21-year-old from Massachusetts said she “definitely leans toward that.” “I would say I’m leaning toward this, but I’m not quite in that party yet,” said a 19-year-old woman from Colorado.
“I would say I’m somewhere between a Democrat and a democratic socialist,” said a 23-year-old woman from Arizona.
While a 19-year-old from Michigan said she appreciates that democratic socialists “are going to help meet the basic needs of people all over America, but that’s not going to happen if we have people taking money from political action committees and corporations to make money off people going into medical debt and things like that,” when asked if she would label herself that way, she said, “I feel like I don’t know enough about it.”
This is not universal. Polls show that a significant number of young Democrats consider themselves democratic socialists when asked. But in terms of organized political action, the Democratic Socialists of America only recently had 120,000 official members, despite their unprecedented success in raising their profile and nominating candidates this election cycle.
Just as Gen Z was considered “woke” Democrats four years ago and then strongly supported Trump and MAGA in 2024, the shift to socialism is also conditional. They’re looking for concrete solutions, not dogma, and if they don’t see results, they’ll look elsewhere.