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A recent national survey should set off alarm bells in every conservative household: a Cato Institute/YouGov poll found that roughly six in ten Americans under 30 say they view socialism favorably, and more than a third of that cohort even expressed a positive view of communism. These are not idle academic curiosities; they reveal a generational drift away from the principles that built this country—private property, individual responsibility, and free enterprise.
This trend cannot be separated from a breakdown in civic education and a campus culture that rewards grievance and slogans over history and economics. Cato’s researchers themselves warned that the poll did not define socialism, meaning many young people cheer for a label without understanding the actual record of socialist regimes. If Americans forget why free markets matter, they risk trading prosperity for ideology.
Worse, the same generation that romanticizes redistribution also treats scarcity as an aesthetic: surveys show Gen Z will happily stand in long lines for the latest foodie experience, turning hunger into a social-media event. That willingness to endure long waits for trendy treats while embracing policies that promise freebies reveals a dangerous mixture of performative consumption and naïve politics. We should be honest—this is not toughness, it is cultural immaturity.
The worry isn’t theoretical. Broader polling shows Americans’ faith in capitalism is sliding, with positive views at historic lows and younger Democrats especially warm to socialist ideas. That erosion of confidence in free enterprise plays directly into the left’s hand as they push for bigger government, higher taxes, and more control over industries that create jobs and innovation. We cannot let complacency hand the future of our economy to those who idolize government over the ingenuity of the American people.
Conservatives must speak plainly: socialism has real, tragic costs. The poll and commentary from libertarian scholars remind us that glorifying state control has led, historically, to oppression and mass suffering—lessons that too many young Americans never learned in school. If we lose the argument for freedom, we risk a slow march toward a system that crushes the very liberties and opportunities hardworking families rely on.
So what do we do? First, stop indulging the nonsense that labels like “socialism” are harmless branding; teach history, economics, and the moral case for liberty everywhere we can. Second, offer real solutions to the economic frustrations young people feel: reform education, revive vocational training, and cut taxes and regulations so entrepreneurship again looks like the surest path to a better life. Finally, get to work rebuilding institutions—families, churches, and local organizations—that create the character and common-sense that markets and freedom require. America’s future depends on a generation that understands what made this country great and chooses it again.
