The Myth of Socialism’s Rise
Most are too busy living their lives, raising their families and doing their jobs to get caught up in political gamesmanship.
If you follow political news, rising support for socialism is all the rage. Some on the political left cheer it, while other left-leaning pundits fear it will drag down Democrats in November. On the right, the supposed rise of socialism is seen as a harbinger of America’s doom—or of the extremism of Democrats.
However, in the real world, there is no rise in support for socialism.
The most recent Napolitan News survey found that 31% of voters nationwide have a favorable opinion of the term. We’ve gotten pretty much the same result in survey after survey over the past decade. Every time we’ve asked, the percentage with a favorable opinion of socialism has remained between 30% and 35%.
So, if the numbers are stable, why does the political world believe support for an un-American ideology is growing? Why do smart people who follow the news closely believe something that, if produced by an AI bot, would be considered a hallucination?
The root cause of this problem is that we live in a 10-10-80 nation. Ten percent of the country on the political left is engaged in a bitter war with 10% on the political right. Both sides believe that only their agenda can save the nation from the evil of the other 10 percent. They are so focused on beating the other team that they have lost sight of the 80%.
The 80%, on the other hand, try to keep their heads down and avoid getting caught in the political crossfire. They are too busy living their lives, raising their families, doing their jobs, and being part of their communities to get caught up in political gamesmanship.
Most 10 percenters feel a sense of superiority over people who don’t follow politics as closely as they do. In fact, they look down on the 80 percenters for not paying more attention to the political battles of our time.
The 80 percenters, on the other hand, instinctively recognize that there’s more to life than politics, and they hate the toxic nature of 21st-century politics. In fact, they live their lives with the understanding that positive change in America almost always begins outside politics.
What does this have to do with the political class’s hallucination about socialism?
The 10 percenters on both sides of the political aisle make two big mistakes. First, they assume that election results reflect public opinion. In a healthy political system, that would be true. However, America’s political system in the 21st century is far from healthy.
So, when Zohran Mamdani wins a mayoral election in New York City against a flawed and scandal-tarred figure, those in the political bubble assume it reflects something significant. In reality, only about one out of 10 New York City residents voted for the current mayor. An even smaller share of the electorate voted for the democratic socialist candidates who won recent Democratic primaries for the City Council.
But despite the fact that these low-turnout election results from a very blue city have little to do with public opinion in America, those in the political bubble discern a trend that does not exist in the real world.
An even bigger problem is that, to paraphrase a quote attributed to George Bernard Shaw, the political class and America are two nations separated by a common language. Socialism means one thing in the world of Bernie Sanders and AOC; it means something quite different among the nation’s voters.
Among voters with a favorable view of socialism, 74% also have a favorable view of free markets. Not only that, but only a third—34%—of those who say they like socialism think more regulation and government involvement are good for the economy.
Those views make absolutely no sense to those who adhere to the textbook definition of socialism. However, in popular culture, the meanings of words often shift and bear little resemblance to textbook definitions. Now that I’m 70, my definition of middle age has certainly changed!
Still, the 10 percenters are fighting over socialism as they understand it. They are not paying attention to what voters think it means. Among all voters, just 51% believe that socialism is a system of higher taxes and extensive control of the economy by a central government.
If 10 percenters paid attention to voters, they’d realize how little public support there is for socialism. Just 6% of voters recognize the reality of true socialism and have a very favorable opinion of it. Another 6% recognize that reality and have a somewhat favorable opinion of socialism.
While it is appropriate to be concerned about socialists winning elections, it is also appropriate to recognize how little public support they have among the broader electorate.
In the real world, there has been absolutely no increase in support for what Bernie Sanders and AOC would consider socialism. And that’s good news for those who believe in America’s founding ideals of freedom, equality, and self-governance.
