Polls are divided: Do Americans love or fear socialism?

The socialist wave sweeping through Democratic voters continues to surprise analysts. The U.S. is a country where this ideology was viewed with disdain by an overwhelming majority of voters, including those with more left-leaning views. This shift has been gaining even more momentum in recent years, with an increasingly radicalized Democratic Party, as evidenced by the arrival of "The Squad"—led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her colleagues—in the House of Representatives, or that of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

However, outside the Democratic Party, polls are divided on what voters currently think about socialism. Just this week, two polls showed surprisingly opposite results.

An NBC study showed that 52% of Americans continue to reject this ideology, compared to 21% who hold a positive view. However, 43% of those who responded to questions from Gallup expressed sympathy for socialism, a historic high.

According to NBC, the majority of voters reject DSA

According to the poll by the television network, the public's rejection of this ideology also extends to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). In this case, 50% expressed a negative view of the group, while 22% view it favorably.

This rejection also extends to candidates who identify with the DSA or who include similar policies in their platforms. Thus, half of voters were less inclined to support a candidate with these characteristics, while 31% would consider it a reason to cast a ballot for that candidate.

First time socialism has been viewed positively by over 40% in a Gallup poll

These figures contrast sharply with those published by Gallup. The well known pollster's recently published a report titled "Socialism's Positive Rating Tops 40% for First Time." Since 2010, when this poll began, it had never exceeded 39%. In this survey, as many as 43% expressed support for this ideology, which now outranks Big Business in popularity, whose approval rating has plummeted by 23% over the past 14 years.

This surge is driven primarily by Democrats, among whom 65% view the economic policies of this ideology favorably. Surprisingly, among independents, support has skyrocketed by 8 points in just one year. Among Republicans, a mere 14% support socialism.