CNBC poll finds socialist label less costly than MAGA among voters

Registered U.S. voters are more receptive to candidates calling themselves democratic socialists than to candidates aligned with President Donald Trump or the MAGA movement, according to CNBC’s All-America Economic Survey released Friday. The poll also put Democrats ahead by four points on control of Congress, 49% to 45%, a signal of the political pressure around November’s midterm elections.

CNBC said 32% of registered voters reported they would be more likely to support a candidate who identifies as a democratic socialist, while 50% said the label would make them less likely to do so. By comparison, 29% said a Trump endorsement would increase their likelihood of support and 52% said it would reduce it. For candidates describing themselves as supporters of the MAGA movement, 27% said they would be more likely to vote for them and 57% said they would be less likely.

The survey was conducted July 8 to 12 among 1,000 registered voters in the United States, CNBC said. Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies conducted the poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Primary results test party assumptions

The findings arrive after a series of Democratic primary victories by candidates who identify with democratic socialism, following Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City in November. CNBC reported that Republicans have used those wins to cast Democrats as communists, while centrist Democrats have expressed concern that the party’s nominees are moving left in competitive races.

Many of the democratic socialist candidates running this year support higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans to pay for policies such as universal health care, a higher minimum wage and universal basic income, according to CNBC. Because Republicans control the White House through 2028, CNBC reported that their election would be unlikely to produce immediate policy changes. A larger cohort could, however, make relations between Congress and the executive branch more contentious and slow legislation sought by the Trump administration.

The midterms are widely being treated as a judgment on Trump’s presidency. CNBC’s poll put his overall approval rating at 40%, with 59% disapproving. On the economy, 38% approved of his handling and 60% disapproved. CNBC said both readings were one point worse than in April, a shift inside the survey’s margin of error but consistent with other recent polling on Trump’s standing.

Capitalism still leads, but views are shifting

CNBC’s survey found that capitalism remains viewed more favorably than socialism among registered voters, though the gap has narrowed. Fifty percent of voters said they had a positive view of capitalism, compared with 51% in 2024. Positive views of socialism rose to 28% from 18% in 2024. Negative views stood at 27% for capitalism and 48% for socialism.

Age divides were pronounced. CNBC said voters aged 18 to 34 favored socialism over capitalism by 18 percentage points, while older groups preferred capitalism. Micah Roberts, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, the Republican pollster for the survey, told CNBC that if younger voters retain those attitudes over time, the national debate and economic-policy agenda could shift materially as they become a larger share of the electorate.

On whether some form of socialism would be good for the country, voters were nearly split. CNBC said 44% called it a bad thing and 40% called it a good thing, narrowing the gap by half from the prior time the question was asked. CNBC compared that with a 2019 Gallup poll in which 43% of adults said socialism was a good thing and 51% said it was bad. In 1942, CNBC reported, 25% of voters called socialism a good idea, 40% called it bad and 34% were undecided.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.