Biden Has More Fans Among Pro-Socialist Voters

Voters are more strongly opposed to socialism than ever, but fans of new President Joe Biden aren’t as convinced.

A new Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 75% of Likely U.S. Voters favor a free-market economic system over a socialist one. Just 11% prefer socialism instead. This compares to 69% and 12% respectively a year ago. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Fifty-one percent (51%) share a favorable opinion of President-elect Biden, with 32% who have a Very Favorable one. Forty-seven percent (47%) view Biden unfavorably, with Very Unfavorables of 36%.

Among voters who prefer socialism over a free-market system, however, 52% have a Very Favorable opinion of Biden. That compares to just 25% of those who opt for a free-market system.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of all voters regard Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez favorably, including 18% with a Very Favorable view of her. Forty-eight percent (48%) hold an unfavorable opinion of the outspokenly socialist Congress member, with 38% Very Unfavorable.

But among voters who prefer socialism, 44% have a Very Favorable view of the congresswoman known as AOC.  Just 11% of free-market fans agree.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted December 6-7, 2020 by the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The incoming Biden administration is reportedly flirting with the idea of joining the so-called Great Reset, an international effort to radically change world economies with much bigger government and far greater regulation. Democrats and younger voters welcome the international involvement in U.S. policymaking; other voters are not so sure.

Younger voters remain more supportive of socialism than their elders but not as strongly as a year ago.

The younger the voter, the more likely they are to have a favorable opinion of both Biden and Ocasio-Cortez.

Democrats (57%) continue to be less supportive of a free-market system than Republicans (91%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (78%). Not surprisingly, Biden and Ocasio-Cortez are looked on a lot more favorably by their fellow Democrats than by other voters.

Government workers are twice as likely as entrepreneurs and those in the private sector to favor socialism over a free-market system.

Most voters continue to view big government as a problem and don’t want it, but they strongly suspect that more government and higher taxes are on the way with Biden in the White House.

Despite the explosive economic growth of the last four years interrupted only by the coronavirus lockdown, just over half of voters want to return to the economic policies of President Obama.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.