Limits on ‘Maximum Income’ OK With Most Under-40 Voters

A majority of voters under 40 favor legal limits on how much an individual can earn, including nearly a third who would set the maximum income at $1 million a year or less.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and StoppingSocialism.com finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters ages 18 to 39 would support a law that imposes a maximum annual income cap for individuals. Seventeen percent (17%) would set the maximum at $100 million a year and 15% think the annual limit should be $10 million. Twelve percent (12%) favor capping the maximum income at $1 million a year,  but eight percent (8%) say it should be $500,000, four percent (4%) say $200,000 and another four percent (4%) want to limit annual income to $100,000. Just 27% outright reject the idea of a maximum income cap, and 14% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

In another example of how favorable younger voters are to radical ideas, 39% of voters under 40 think Americans who refuse to use others' preferred gender pronouns should face fines or legal penalties. That includes 17% who would impose fines for not using preferred pronouns, 16% who favor community service as punishment and six percent (6%) who think Americans should serve jail time for refusing to use preferred pronouns. However, nearly half (48%) of under-40 voters don’t think there should be legal penalties for failing to  to use others' preferred gender pronouns, and 12% are not sure.

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The survey of 1,201 U.S. Likely Voters ages 18 to 39 was conducted on August 26-27, 2025 by 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.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Likely Voters ages 18 to 39 would 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. That includes 27% who Strongly Support such a proposal. Only 30% are opposed to giving the U.N. authority over the United States, including 16% who Strong Oppose the proposal, while 11% are not sure.

“These results are deeply alarming,” said Donald Kendal, director of the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at the Heartland Institute and editor-in-chief of StoppingSocialism.com. “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.”

Among other findings of the Rasmussen Reports/StoppingSocialism.com survey of under-40 Likely Voters:
– Thirty-nine percent (39%) would support an amendment to the Constitution that would abolish the U.S. Congress and replace it with a national citizens’ assembly selected lottery, including 15% who Strongly Support abolishing Congress. Forty-three percent (43%) are opposed to the idea, including 23% who Strongly Oppose it, while 19% are not sure.

– Majorities of every racial category – 55% of whites, 69% of blacks, 67% of Hispanics and 54% of other minorities – among under-40 voters at least somewhat support giving the United Nations the authority to oversee the Supreme Court and presidency, to ensure that Americans’ rights are being protected. Opposition to a maximum income cap is strongest among Hispanics

– Significantly more men (31%) than women voters (24%) under 40 say no to a law that imposes a maximum annual income cap for individuals. However, more young men (43%) than women voters (35%) favor amending the Constitution to abolish Congress and replace it with a national citizens’ assembly selected lottery.

– Support for imposing a “maximum income” cap is significantly higher among voters under 30, just 23% of whom oppose the idea outright, compared to 33% of those ages 35-39.

– Among under-40 voters who voted for Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election, just 22% oppose the “maximum income” idea, compared to 32% of those who voted for Donald Trump.

StoppingSocialism.com was founded in 2018 as a project of the Heartland Institute, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Believing that the economy is unfair to them, a majority of voters under 40 favor legislation to confiscate “excess wealth.”

Support for socialist policies and socialist candidates is now a majority position among younger voters in America.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

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