Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: 59% of Young Voters Support Income Caps, 40% Support Penalties for Free Speech, and 59% Support UN Authority Over the United States

59% of likely voters aged 18-39 voiced support for a law that imposes a maximum annual income cap for individuals

40% of likely voters aged 18-39 said Americans who refuse to use others’ preferred gender pronouns should face fines and legal penalties

59% said they would support a proposal for a new constitutional amendment that would give the United Nations authority to oversee the Supreme Court and president to ensure Americans’ rights are being protected

SCHAUMBURG, IL (September 9, 2025) – A new poll by StoppingSocialism.com, a project of The Heartland Institute, and Rasmussen Reports reveals that a large share of voters under 40 support radical government reforms and restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including income caps, penalties for refusing to use preferred gender pronouns, and even replacing Congress with a citizens’ assembly chosen by lottery. Potentially most alarming, more than half of young likely voters support a proposal to cede national sovereignty to the United Nations.

The survey included 1,201 likely voters aged 18-39. It was completed on August 27, 2025.

See the poll questions and the crosstabs here.

Income Caps: A majority (59%) of young voters support imposing maximum income levels for individuals. Support for various income ceilings included $100M (17%), $10M (15%), $1M (12%), $500k (8%), $200k (4%), $100k (4%), whereas only 27% opposed the income caps outright.

Free Speech Under Fire: Forty percent of young American likely voters support punishing Americans who refuse to use others’ preferred pronouns. Supported punishments include a monetary fine (17%), mandatory community service (16%), and jail time (6%). Less than half (48%) said this speech should not be penalized.

Abolishing Congress: Nearly 40% of voters under 40 said they would support abolishing Congress and replacing it with a national assembly chosen by lottery, including 15% who “strongly” support the idea.

UN Oversight: Nearly 60% of young likely voters support giving the United Nations authority over the U.S. Supreme Court and presidency to “protect rights.” Just 30% opposed this extreme idea.

StoppingSocialism.com was founded in 2018 and has since become one of The Heartland Institute’s most impactful projects. The website is dedicated to informing Americans about the dangers of socialism and communism using history, original research, and philosophy. Heartland is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Schaumburg, 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.

The following quotes, provided by Heartland Institute experts, can be used for attribution:

“These results are deeply alarming. Young voters are not only embracing income redistribution and collectivist economics, but also expressing shocking support for dismantling America’s constitutional system and handing power to international organizations. These are radical views that strike at the heart of liberty and national sovereignty.”

Donald Kendal
Director
Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]

“The results of this poll should concern all Americans who treasure freedom and free-market capitalism. Incredibly, more than six in 10 young Americans support income caps, starting as low as $100,000 annually, which totally violates the sacred principle of private property rights. Perhaps worse, 40 percent think that free speech should not apply to misgendering someone based on their preferred pronouns. Likewise, 40 percent support abolishing Congress in favor of a national assembly determined by a lottery. And, 60 percent want the United Nations to oversee the U.S. government.

“This is what happens when a generation has been indoctrinated by professors and teachers who believe the United States is evil, illegitimate, and must be fundamentally transformed. It is also the result of a toxic culture that preys upon young people’s vulnerability and naivete. In order to reverse this disturbing trend, parents must demand school choice, monitor their child’s use of social media, and take the time to instill fundamental American values. This is a tall order, but it is essential if America is to remain the land of opportunity and the world’s beacon of freedom into the twenty-first century.”

Chris Talgo
Editorial Director
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]

“These findings should prompt serious reflection within the conservative movement. A troubling share of young Americans—including nearly half of young conservatives—now back policies that erode core constitutional protections, from speech penalties to income caps to foreign oversight of our highest institutions, as well as the outright abolition of Congress. That is not the inheritance of liberty our movement is supposed to defend.

 “The real dividing line in our politics is no longer simply left versus right, but liberty versus coercion. If the next generation of conservatives cannot articulate and defend the principles of free speech, limited government, and national sovereignty, those principles will fade from our political culture altogether. We have to make the case for them clearly, persuasively, and urgently—before these attitudes become the law of the land.”

Jack McPherrin
Research Fellow, Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center
Research Editor
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]

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.

Survey of 1,201 18-39 US Likely Voters
Conducted August 26-27, 2025, by Rasmussen Reports and StoppingSocialism.com

1. Trump Approval

2. In the 2024 presidential election, who did you vote for, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump or some other candidate? Or did you not vote in the 2024 presidential election?

3. Would you support a law that imposes a maximum annual income cap for individuals?

4. Should Americans who refuse to use others’ preferred gender pronouns face fines and legal penalties?

5. Would you support an amendment to the Constitution that would abolish the US Congress and replace it with a national citizens’ assembly selected lottery?

6. Would you support a proposal for a new constitutional amendment that would give the United Nations the authority to oversee the Supreme Court and presidency, to ensure that Americans’ rights are being protected?

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence

###