Nearly 1 in 3 Americans would vote for a democratic socialist: Poll

Campaign Nearly 1 in 3 Americans would vote for a democratic socialist: Poll Comments: by Tara Suter - 07/02/26 5:30 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Tara Suter - 07/02/26 5:30 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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A little under 1 in 3 Americans say they would be willing to back a democratic socialist in an election, according to a new poll.

In The Economist/YouGov poll, 29 percent of respondents said they would be willing to cast their ballot for a democratic socialist, 45 percent said they wouldn’t and 26 percent were unsure.

The poll comes amid recent democratic socialist victories in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Colorado. The movement has recently seen a rise in prominence, especially since the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) last year.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ushered in the modern democratic socialist movement with his 2016 presidential campaign, which eventually led to the election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) a few years later. Both lawmakers are two of the most well-known democratic socialists in American politics.

“When I look at the recent progressive victories in Colorado and elsewhere, and the successful organizing campaigns sprouting up across the country, I believe we may be on the brink of the political revolution we have been fighting for,” Sanders said Wednesday in a post on the social platform X.

The Economist/YouGov poll also found that 32 percent of respondents either see socialism in a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” light, 39 percent see it in a “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” light and 29 percent were unsure.

The Economist/YouGov poll took place from June 26 to 29, featuring 1,606 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Add as preferred source on Google Tags Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Bernie Sanders democratic socialism Poll The Economist/YouGov Zohran Mamdani

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