32% of Democratic voters say they “hope” that China “wins the tariff war” with the Trump administration, compared to 30% who said they hope the Trump administration wins.
71% of likely voters say they think a free-market economic system is better than socialism. Only 12% of voters say socialism is better.
46% of voters say they do not want to “see a democratic socialist candidate win the next presidential election,” compared to just 31% who say they do.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (May 12, 2025) – A new poll by the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports found likely American voters strongly oppose socialism, communism, and do not wish to see a democratic socialist, such as Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, become president in 2028.
The survey of 1,067 likely voters, completed on May 4, 2025, found 71% of likely voters say they think a free-market economic system is better than socialism. Only 12% of voters say socialism is better.
Similarly, 46% of voters say they do not want to “see a democratic socialist candidate win the next presidential election,” compared to just 31% who say they do. Seventy-four percent of likely voters have a “very unfavorable” or “somewhat unfavorable” opinion of communism, while only 18% have a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” impression of the radical economic philosophy.
However, despite voters’ rejection of socialism and communism, support for socialism and communism remain relatively high among younger voters. Thirty-seven percent of likely voters aged 18-29 have a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” impression of communism, and 50% of voters in the same age demographic say they would like to see a democratic socialist candidate win the 2028 presidential election.
See the poll questions and the crosstabs here.
Perhaps most shocking, the survey reveals that more self-identified Democrats want China to “win the tariff war” with the Trump administration (32%) than those who say they want Trump to win (30%). Further, a high percentage of Democrats (38%) say they are “not sure” who they want to win.
The survey also shows that a plurality of likely Democratic primary voters currently favor former vice president Kamala Harris as their 2028 presidential nominee (32%). Democratic socialist U.S. senator Bernie Sanders received the second-highest level of support, with 18% of likely Democratic primary voters saying they plan to cast their ballots for him.
The Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center was founded in 2018 and has since become one of The Heartland Institute’s most impactful centers and one of the pro-liberty movement’s most effective leaders in identifying and solving emerging public policy issues, including those related to new technological developments. Heartland is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems.
The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
See the full results of the poll below, including some of the key data from the crosstabs.
If you’d like to interview a Heartland Institute expert on this topic or other topics, please contact Donald Kendal, the director of the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center and one of the primary authors of the Heartland/Rasmussen survey, at [email protected], or contact Vice President and Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected]. You can also call/text Jim at 312-731-9364.
The following quotes, provided by Heartland Institute experts, can be used for attribution:
“It is beyond disturbing that so many Democrats would rather see China win a trade war than their own country succeed,” said Justin Haskins, senior fellow at The Heartland Institute and the poll’s primary author. “Apparently, Democrats would rather all Americans suffer than allow for the Trump administration to get credit for a job well done.”
“There is good news, however,” Haskins said. “Most Americans continue to reject socialism and embrace free-market capitalism—but for how much longer, no one knows. If younger voters’ attitudes don’t change soon, the future of our economy and national identity could be at serious risk.”
Justin Haskins
Senior Fellow
Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
“The fact that 38 percent of young voters have a favorable view of communism is disturbing enough—but what’s even more troubling is that only 23 percent view it very unfavorably. That number should be 100 percent. The rest either outright romanticize one of the most evil ideologies ever conceived, are morally ambivalent, or admit they’re not sure what to think at all.
“This reflects a profound failure in education and cultural memory. And when you combine this with other results from the survey—like the fact that more Democrats want communist China to win the ongoing trade war than their own country—it’s a sign that we’re failing to pass down the liberty-centered principles that once unified generations of Americans.”
Jack McPherrin
Research Fellow, Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center
Research Editor
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
National Survey of 1,067 Likely Voters on Socialism and a Trade War with China
Conducted April 30-May 4, 2025
By the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports
- 2024 Vote
45% Harris
46% Trump
4% Other
4% Didn’t vote
1% Not sure
- Trump Approval
26% Strongly support
21% Somewhat support
10% Somewhat oppose
40% Strongly oppose
2% Not sure
- Which of the following do you think is better? A free-market economic system, or socialism?
71% Free market economic system
12% Socialism
17% Not sure
Interesting Crosstabs
- Only 4% of likely voters age 65 and older think socialism is better than capitalism.
- 24% of likely voters under the age of 30 link socialism is better than a free market economic system.
- Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of communism?
7% Very favorable
11% Somewhat favorable
16% Somewhat unfavorable
57% Very unfavorable
8% Not sure
Interesting Crosstabs
- 37% of likely voters under 30 have at least a somewhat favorable view of communism.
- The next presidential election is in 2028. Would you like to see a democratic socialist candidate win the next presidential election?
31% Yes
46% No
24% Not sure
Interesting Crosstabs
- 50% of likely voters under the age of 30 would like to see a democratic socialist candidate win the 2028 presidential election.
- The Trump administration is currently in the midst of a “trade war” with China, with each side imposing tariffs on the other. Who do you hope wins the tariff war?
18% China
57% Trump administration
25% Not sure
Interesting Crosstabs
- 32% of Democrats and Liberals want China to win a trade war against a United States led by Trump.
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
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