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Socialism is gaining ground with voters, as half say capitalism is not working and a growing number are open to a shift toward socialism.
The latest Fox News survey, released Thursday, finds a record 38% think it would be a good thing for the United States to move away from capitalism and in the direction of socialism — up from 32% in 2022, the last time the question was asked. In 2010, a low of 18% backed socialism.
Very liberal voters (66%) and Democrats under age 45 (66%) are those most likely to think moving to socialism would be good. More than half of all Democrats (55%), Black voters (55%), and those under age 30 (53%) also favor moving away from capitalism.
Still, a majority of 61% think it’s a bad thing to move toward socialism, including large majorities of Republicans (78%), conservatives (75%), men over age 45 (75%), and voters ages 65 and up (75%).
The shift may be tied to divided views on capitalism itself. Voters are split over whether capitalism in the United States is working well: 51% say it’s working very or somewhat well, while nearly as many, 49%, say it’s working not very or not at all well.
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Plus, equal shares say capitalism is working “very” well and “not at all” well (18% each).
The biggest supporters of capitalism are Republican men (87% working very/somewhat well), MAGA supporters (85%), and Republicans ages 45+ (81%). In contrast, very liberal voters (79% working not very/not at all well), Democratic women (79%), and Democrats under age 45 (72%) are those most likely to give it poor marks.
These findings seem to suggest frustration with the current system more than a clear preference for expanded government. When it comes to whether they would like the government to “lend me a hand” or “leave me alone” voters are again split: 48% opt for a hand up, while 51% prefer to be left alone — a 3 percentage-point edge for “leave me alone.” The last three times this question was asked, voters preferred a helping hand: by 7 points in 2025, 3 points in 2024, and 9 points in 2022. Before 2020, voters generally preferred to be left alone by wide margins.
More than half of women, Black voters, Hispanic voters, voters under 30, households making less than $50,000, and Democrats would like a boost. More than half of men, White voters, those ages 65+, households with income $50,000 or more, and Republicans want to be left alone.
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The survey finds a record high 48% of Democrats say, “leave me alone,” up from 39% in July 2025 and a low of 18% in August 2021.
The overall shift back toward wanting to be left alone by the government comes as 43% have a positive view of their financial situation, up a touch since November when 40% were positive.
Conducted February 28-March 2, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,004 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (104) and cellphones (642) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
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