Even conservatives are being wooed by socialism but dont fall for the con
Fifty-three percent of self-identified conservatives under 40 support government-run grocery stores.Not Democrats, conservatives.
Take that in.I run a company that tracks layoffs caused by artificial intelligence, and every month I look at spreadsheets that show my generation losing entry-level jobs faster than anyone anticipated.So when the polling says young Americans have soured on capitalism, I’m not surprised by the anger.I am surprised by who is angry, because the rise of socialism among young Americans is no longer only a Democratic story.Young conservatives who grew up hearing that government was the problem are increasingly asking why the government isn’t doing more to make their lives easier, which in 2026 simply means more affordable.
They are increasingly comfortable with taxing billionaires, expanding government programs and blaming some outside group for the sense that the American Dream is further away than it was for their parents.The left is embracing socialism openly, but we should worry about how the right is arriving at many of the same conclusions by a different route.In a 2025 survey of young likely voters, 42% of conservatives said they would like to see a democratic socialist win the presidency in 2028.Among 2024 Trump voters, the figure was 35% in another poll.
A March 2026 poll found 77% of all voters support raising taxes on billionaires, including 65% of Republicans, 75% of independents, and 91% of Democrats.It also found 62% of voters are more likely to back a candidate who supports an increased billionaire tax, versus 12% more likely to support a candidate who opposes it.These aren’t disciples of Karl Marx, but they believe the economy is rigged against them, and they increasingly believe the government should step in and fix it.A July 2026 Fox News poll found that 61% of Republicans view capitalism favorably, down from 72% in 2019, while the share who feel strongly favorable has fallen from 54% to 41%.
The share who say the s...