How Democrats view democratic socialists

As democratic socialists draw increased attention across the country, Americans are still getting to know who the democratic socialists are and what they stand for.

In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, just 23% of Americans said they understand the policies and positions of democratic socialists extremely or very well. This also includes Democrats, with just 21% of Democrats and Democrat leaners saying they understand the policies and positions of democratic socialists extremely or very well.

Democratic socialism in the U.S. is hardly a new phenomenon, but the widespread electoral success of democratic socialists, on a national scale, certainly is. What is behind their recent appeal?

Below are five charts on how the Democratic coalition feels about democratic socialists.

1. The context. The surging success of democratic socialists did not emerge from a vacuum. Favorability ratings of the Democratic and Republican Party have been trending downward for decades. Now, less than half of Americans feel the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have a lot or some good ideas.

2. Democrats or democratic socialists? Among Democrats and Democrat leaners, two in five would prefer a candidate who identifies as a democratic socialist over a candidate who identifies as a Democrat. That’s not a majority, but it’s not a group that will disappear overnight.

3. Which demographic groups prefer democratic socialists? Democrats and Democrat leaners that are open to democratic socialists are more likely to be college-educated and more likely to be younger than those that prefer a Democrat. Meanwhile, both groups have similar gender and racial profiles.

4. Issue landscape. Regardless of whether they prefer a Democrat or a democratic socialist, Democrats still mostly agree on what they feel are the top issues facing the country: the economy and threats to democratic norms. The Democratic coalition sees the same problems but has different solutions for how to solve them.

5. Establishing strengths and weaknesses. Broadly speaking, the Democratic coalition rates the ideas of the Democratic Party more positively than the ideas of candidates that identify as democratic socialists. And on specific issues, the Democratic base has some confidence in elected officials who identify as a democratic socialist, but not as much strong confidence.

Among the Democratic coalition, support for traditional Democratic candidates still outweighs support for democratic socialists. But as the polling shows, support for democratic socialists is a force that cannot be ignored. That said, it’s early days. Watch this space.