Newsweek, November 2026
As the American left is facing a major test at the ballot box, a new poll shows Americans may be souring on socialism ahead of the midterm elections. The October Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found 52 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable view of socialism, the first time that a majority has reported having a negative view in the last three such polls. The poll found just 25 percent viewed socialism favorably, giving it a net favorability rating of -27 points. The survey was conducted among 2,700 registered voters from October 24 to 26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
The rating is the lowest recorded since August, and marks a reversal from the modest uptick in favorability that was recorded just a month earlier. The same poll in August had found that 26 percent had a favorable view of socialism while 48 percent had an unfavorable view, a net favorability rating of -21 points when rounding to the nearest whole percentage. The September poll saw a slight improvement in Americans’ view of socialism, with 29 percent saying they had a favorable view and 47 percent saying they had an unfavorable view, a net favorability rating of -19 points.
