New Flash Poll · October 2026 · Christians and Socialism
Nearly 7 in 10 Young Protestants View Socialism Positively
Key findings
Finding 01
69% of Protestants under 30 have a positive image of socialism. Among those 70 and older, 70% view it negatively.
Finding 02
Overall, Protestants lean negative on socialism (48% to 40%), with a sharp party split. 63% of Democrats are positive and 62% of Republicans are negative.
Finding 03
47% say government should have primary responsibility for caring for the poor. That’s more than churches and charities (21%) and families (21%) combined.
Finding 04
Positive sentiment towards the Democratic Socialists of America averages a 3.6 out of 10 among protestants. Only Democrats rate the group above the midpoint.
Full results
The questions
Exact question wording and results. Crosstabs for every question are in the Full Results & Crosstabs (Excel); the Key Findings (PDF) summarizes them in charts.
Question 1
“Just off the top of your head, would you say you have a positive or negative image of socialism?”
| Response | All Protestants | Ages 18–29 |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | 40% | 69% |
| Negative | 48% | 18% |
| No opinion | 12% | 13% |
Question 2
“The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization that has gained influence in American politics in recent years. Do you see this as positive or negative?” (0–10 scale)
Question 3
“Who should have the primary responsibility for caring for the poor in America?”
| Response | All Protestants |
|---|---|
| Government | 47% |
| Churches and charities | 21% |
| Families and individuals | 21% |
| Someplace else | 1% |
| Not sure | 10% |
Methodology
National survey of 500 Protestant Christians conducted by Consensus Strategies, Oct. 24–26, 2026. Margin of error ±4.4 points; higher for subgroups.
Download
Download the results
Key Findings summarizes the results in charts. Full Results & Crosstabs has every question, broken out by party, age, education, gender, ethnicity, 2024 vote, and evangelical identification.
Media contact
For interviews and press inquiries
IFC fellows are available to discuss the findings.