Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism

Rush Limbaugh discusses the new Rasmussen poll that shows only 53% of Americans believe that capitalism is better than socialism. People under 30 prefer socialism, on third of Democrats prefer socialism.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.

The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism

It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.

Other survey data supports that notion. Rather than seeing large corporations as committed to free markets, two-out-of-three Americans believe that big government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.

Fifteen percent (15%) of Americans say they prefer a government-managed economy, similar to the 20% support for socialism. Just 14% believe the federal government would do a better job running auto companies, and even fewer believe government would do a better job running financial firms.

Most Americans today hold views that can generally be defined as populist while only seven percent (7%) share the elitist views of the Political Class.

When one thinks of all of the people that have immigrated to our country in the last 100 years to escape fascist, socialist countries and their tyrannical leaders, the results of this poll are very scary. We clearly are headed down a road towards becoming the very third rate country that millions of immigrants have escaped from. I can only wonder what those who have escaped socialist countries for a life in the United States might think. They came for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, now they find that a large portion of our population are voting to make us the very monster they fled. We are indeed, living in sad times.