Post-Election Survey Finds Waning Interest in Socialism among American Adults
According to new research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, U.S. adults have shown declining support for socialism as opposed to a few years ago.
The report, titled America’s Thirst for Socialism Has Plummeted was part of CRC’s nationwide 2020 Post-election Survey, which was conducted online between November 4-16,2020 with a representative sample of 1,000 adults. In recent times, further rejections on socialism have arisen as it will possibly be pushed in policies by President Joe Biden and the Democrat Party throughout the next four years.
Interest in socialism has shown to be at the lowest it has been in years. In 2018, over 4 in 10 piqued interest in socialism (41 percent), but after the 2020 presidential election, only 32 percent of American adults said they preferred socialism to capitalism, a 9-point percentage decline.
Those least likely to choose socialism over capitalism were from two groups possessing a biblical worldview: “integrated disciples” and SAGE Cons (Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians), with a 12 percent interest for both.
Conversely, a strong majority (over 170 million U.S. adults) preferred capitalism to socialism (68 percent).
Nevertheless, roughly 80 million Americans show an openness in socialism, especially amongst younger Americans (under age 30) who display the highest support of any age group, despite a minor decline from 2018 (48 percent to 43 percent).
ACU President Len Munsil shared in a statement that he found the results encouraging, noting that the survey shows that having a biblical worldview “is the best defense against embracing socialism”.
CRC’s American Worldview Inventory 2020 offers further insight on Munsil’s conclusion. The study, which was released in September 2020, found that 98 percent of U.S. adults who favor socialism are also opposed to a biblical worldview.
Munsil noted that the waning interest in socialism means that “minds can be changed in the cultural debate of socialism versus capitalism.”
“Our students are challenged to engage seriously with the moral and Scriptural arguments for the free market, and to look critically at the ideas and consequences of socialism,” he asserted.
CRC Director of Research Dr. George Barna, who authored the survey, said that uninformed Americans must “better understand the meaning and long-term implications of socialism before substantial systemic changes are made.”
“Transitioning from capitalism to socialism would be a major, life-changing choice that would have dramatic consequences and far-reaching impacts on the health and well-being of our country and its people,” he added. “Yet, because they are inadequately educated on these matters, many people are easily swayed by superficial, tangential, or emotional arguments,” he concluded.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Deberarr
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
