Polling Data on Communism in America (2020)

[Laika]

The Victims of Communism Memorial foundation has published it's Fifth annual poll on attitudes to Socialism, Communism and Collectivism in the United States. The Poll is based on data from YouGov involving 2,100 respondents aged 16 and over. To all intents and purposes, this is effectively the only polling data on the popularity of the Far left in America so it is worth having a look at.

The full document of responses is available here. If you would prefer to look at the short version, some highlights from the poll are provided here. The World Socialist Web Site also covered the results in a press article.

Favourability of "Communism" is highest amongst Generation Z (aged 16 to 23) at 28%, with Millennials (aged 24 to 39) coming in at 22% (down from 36% in 2019). Similar results are found in the favourability of "Marxism" amongst Generation Z with 30% viewing it positively (up 6% from 2019) and 27% of Millennials having a favourable opinion on Marxism (down 9% from 2019).

Naturally, 67% of people view being called a "Communist" an insult, with 53% viewing being called a "Marxist" an insult.

In response to the question "Would society be better off if all private property was abolished and property held by government for the good of all?" the response for Americans overwhelmingly negative with 77% saying "No", as opposed to 7% answering "Yes" and 16% saying "Don't know". Amongst Generation Z only 12% answered "yes" (64% said no, 24% said don't know) and only 10% of millennials answers "Yes" (with 66% answering "No" and 25% saying "Don't Know").

In response to the question "should government provide a universal basic income where every citizen receives a monthly stipend from the government?", 34% of Americans answered "Yes", whilst 44% answered No and 22% said they don't know. Generation was again a major factor in responses as 43% of both Millenials and Generation Z supported a Universal Basic Income.

More than a third of Americans (39%) were willing to support a member of the Democratic Socialist Party running for office (51% of Gen Z and 44% of Millennials). 16% of Generation Z and Millennials would be willing to support a member of the Communist Party running for office.

There is a huge amount of data to go through if you want, but I picked out these as some of the highlights. Do you have any thoughts on the polling data? Does it reflect your experience generally or diverge significantly from what you would expect to see?

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[Shadow Wolf]

First genertion studies are problematic. Just recently I read an article of a "millennial teen," but I'm not aware of any estimations that would allow for that still. Also the term millennial often doesn't describe those who it's supposed to describe, and there is a microgeneration being studied of those born from about mid-late 70s through mid 80s called "xennials" or something like that (although I have to admit reading on this one was stunning as it fit me and my older friends quite well). And there's confusion. Such as, Rival and I were talking once, and depending on the estimations we could be the same generation or different ones. But our childhoods and even teen years bear scant resemblance to each other.
Now, with that, it has been my theory that younger X into the "in betweeners" were raised on such heights of Americana (that included being pro-Capitalists), that after we won the Cold War, after we were raised to believe we were awesome, we were the best, and everything is awesome, except it wasn't. We watched NAFTA take our future employment prospects and wages, we've been through booms and busts, a Recession, and now Covid. We get ahead at work, but it's been slow to get ahead financially. We were promoted at work during the Recession, but got less than those before. Worked our way up again, and now it's gotten bad again. Boomers had economic prosperity that was promised to their children, but it never really manifested for many of us. Their grandchildren have it even harder. Their great-grandchildren don't even have that prosperity as a pipe dream. The Boomers had a booming and awesome economy. The rest of us are getting tired of promises from a market that consistently fails to produce and secure those promises.

 

[Tambourine]

Of course "Marxism" by US standards probably means something along the line of "the Humanities, all of them".

 

[Laika]

Of course "Marxism" by US standards probably means something along the line of "the Humanities, all of them".

Yeah. Americans have the most elastic use of words and labels, mainly to weaponize them against progressives of any kind. Something of a hangover from the McCarthy era.

I can't seem to find the exact survey questions, which makes me suspicious. This is the same foundation that claims Americans who died of Covid are victims of Communism. They are not a scholarly foundation, they are an anti-communist propaganda outlet.

They did yes. That was pretty outrageous, even if you don't like China really. Rising Coronavirus Death Toll Proves Communism Kills | Victims of Communism

First genertion studies are problematic. Just recently I read an article of a "millennial teen," but I'm not aware of any estimations that would allow for that still. Also the term millennial often doesn't describe those who it's supposed to describe, and there is a microgeneration being studied of those born from about mid-late 70s through mid 80s called "xennials" or something like that (although I have to admit reading on this one was stunning as it fit me and my older friends quite well). And there's confusion. Such as, Rival and I were talking once, and depending on the estimations we could be the same generation or different ones. But our childhoods and even teen years bear scant resemblance to each other.

The same is probably true for me as I was born in 1989, a few months before the Berlin wall came down. The definition of Generation is pretty arbitrary.

Now, with that, it has been my theory that younger X into the "in betweeners" were raised on such heights of Americana (that included being pro-Capitalists), that after we won the Cold War, after we were raised to believe we were awesome, we were the best, and everything is awesome, except it wasn't. We watched NAFTA take our future employment prospects and wages, we've been through booms and busts, a Recession, and now Covid. We get ahead at work, but it's been slow to get ahead financially. We were promoted at work during the Recession, but got less than those before. Worked our way up again, and now it's gotten bad again. Boomers had economic prosperity that was promised to their children, but it never really manifested for many of us. Their grandchildren have it even harder. Their great-grandchildren don't even have that prosperity as a pipe dream. The Boomers had a booming and awesome economy. The rest of us are getting tired of promises from a market that consistently fails to produce and secure those promises.

This is very true. There were statistics in the polls about whether people believed the american economy works in their interests, and it is basically young people going "no", old people going "yes".

 

[SomeRandom]

Communism is a bad word where I live too. I think we even abolished the communist political party. As a wannabe commie, this leaves me rather disillusioned.
Although it amuses me that I often encounter an American who accuses my country of being a commie country, usually for having universal healthcare.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

This is very true. There were statistics in the polls about whether people believed the american economy works in their interests, and it is basically young people going "no", old people going "yes".

I have to admit, my views on this are heavily shaped by lots of personal conversations with others. Basically those around my dad's age (basically an inbetween of Boomers and Gen X), they generally don't find the economy problematic. Even if it hasn't been the best to them. But those born around "early-middish" 70s I start hearing more about unfair aspects of it and how some things just aren't working, and into "middish-late" 70s is when I've consistently began to meet more anti-capitalists/socialists/communist types, with basically more and more people the more we go on in years. And, going with the subgeneration thing, those born from about the mid 70s to the mid 80s where early in work or about to enter work and we saw with the Dotcom boom/bust, and that was just before NAFTA saw jobs heading out. This is also a group known to have been at a "sweet spot" with employment when the recession hit, getting ahead in the ranks but not getting the increases in pay and benefits that would normally have come along with such promotions. This is also when millennial were known to start workings. A decade later, same generation different generation, but its the same thing with people beginning and entering work with crap circumstances, with another group seeing at happening again, and another group never seeing the end of them. Our parents, however, when they were in their 30s and 40s they had their careers set. They didn't see much reason to think it any different or worse than what their parents had it, in those "good ole days" when, yeah, one paycheck could support a family. But their kids basically won't know it at this point, their grandchildren it's not looking like they'll have that, and their great children have to act now or it won't be long before single-income families being the norm and thriving is something no American in living memory has known.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Although it amuses me that I often encounter an American who accuses my country of being a commie country, usually for having universal healthcare.

That's the RW propaganda and spin-machine for ya. It distorts things for their audience to the point a Tea Partier held up a sign demanding Uncle Sam "Keep [his] government hands off my Medicare."
And that reminds me. You owe us an apology for Rupert Murdoch. Because that communist thing he had a strong part in that, and y'alls had a part in him.

 

[Laika]

Communism is a bad word where I live too. I think we even abolished the communist political party. As a wannabe commie, this leaves me rather disillusioned.
Although it amuses me that I often encounter an American who accuses my country of being a commie country, usually for having universal healthcare.

The amount of abuse I get, usually online, gets me down too. Its more the unfairness of it because being a communist doesn’t typically mean you are a bad person with bad intentions. Having a group of people to share it with and give you some emotional support can help though.

There was a referendum held in Australia over whether or not to ban the Communist Party. The “No” vote won by a very thin margin. The Communist Party of Australia survived and was dissolved in 1991 (though there are successor parties claiming the name and history still in existence which appear to be very small).

1951 Australian Communist Party ban referendum - Wikipedia

So the commies actually won for a change in this case.