A clear majority of Democrats believe socialism has a “positive impact on society,” according to a poll by the American Action Network (AAN).
The political and economic system that wreaks havoc across the world from Venezuela to North Korea is enjoying widespread support in the modern Democratic Party.
A telephone poll of 1,000 likely Democratic primary voters found that when capitalism and socialism were polled head to head, socialism won by 15 percentage points, with just 25% of respondents saying they favored capitalism.
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In terms of definition, the poll made clear that socialism meant a greater role for government in the economy and substantial wealth redistribution, but the idea itself was not clearly defined by its traditional meaning as government ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange.
But despite some haziness around precise wording, there was no doubt that the number of Democrats who favored a totally socialized healthcare system far outstripped those who favored retaining a private model of healthcare.
Not only are Democrats far to the left of mainstream America on the question of socialism and health care, but they are also largely suspicious of how the media cover hot button issues such as racial equality on campus.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed agreed with the statement “most of the media in our country is [sic] controlled by corporations who are more interested in profits than telling the truth. Before a corporate owned media entity covers a campus rally for racial equality, they should first prove that they are not biased against the content of the rally.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders’s decision to stand for the Democratic nomination on a platform of democratic socialism has sparked furious debate over what socialism means and whether it has a place in twenty-first century America. AFF’s poll suggests there’s a wide reservoir of support for many of the policies Sanders advocates.
This report, by Guy Bentley, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
