I don't know how useful these kinds of surveys are. If you look at the survey methodology they only include voters which I believe would skew the results pro-capitalist. They also use some propensity scoring with logistic regression to get around the population cohort skew. Only about 47% of Americans voted in 2024 and 34% in 2022 (also counting ineligible citizens). Finally, first time voters, in general world-wide, tend to be more radical than last time voters. I believe class consciousness is on the rise across the US as the living conditions for ordinary citizens deteriorate, and they join the precariat part of the proletariat, but I wouldn't put faith in a policy survey from the Cato institute for that.
this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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one step at the time...but the march doesn't stop
There's a pretty stark contrast in the complete cognitive-block people from my parent's generation have, vs Gen Z. I think the fact that we're growing up in a post-USSR world really influences that. We weren't exposed to the same propaganda around communism as our parents, and with social media, have seen the lies of the empire more directly exposed than ever.
I think it's less about anti-communist propaganda, there is still very much an abundance of that, and more about the absolutely dismal existence young people are being thrown into. Housing, schooling etc have all exploded in cost while wages have barely budged. It's not exactly fun to spend 50 or so hours every week being micro-managed and disrespected like slaves while everything you make gets eaten up paying to maintain your ability to keep coming back to work. Under those conditions you eventually realize that society existing as it does isn't benefiting you and you naturally begin looking for alternatives.
Not to mention that capitalism has priced us out of basic life milestones, like buying a home or even having children. And yet, we are still being expected to do so.
Another graph to add to my collection...
Unsurprising. As Moidialectica said, most of these people aren't MLs or even Trots, but the sheer trend over time is a very positive sign.
That was exactly my take on the cth thread.
Nice! Yep, I see it as a very good sign.
from my experience, they're the type to be 'communism works in theory' types rather than actual MLs or even Trotskyists
Not that this is bad, I guess. It is easier to convince these people to do more activities like protesting war or joining unions Vs in the past since they crossed the bare minimum of seeing communism as an ideology for the people
you get fully automated gay space communism when you reach 110% favorable opinion
I figured millennials would be much higher, I was radicalized cause of BLM and the Bernie bullshit
I think a lot of millennials got contaminated with all the anti-SJW and gamergate type stuff, the result is a lot of them dislike oligarchs and big corps but think for some reason that woke communists are controlling the big corps.
All my millennial friends are at the very least communist sympathizers, so I have no idea lol. Even the term woke was coined by Black millennials (as far as I know, it's possible the previous generation could have too, aave tends to blend across gens) before it was co-opted by white liberals
In my experience it's more they grew up in the 90s and got nostalgiapoisoned by "better times" like Gen X and Boomers so they think we "don't need" socialism and that a welfare state is sufficient.
e.g. they're conservative liberals who want to go back to "better times", but this time with gay marriage and black presidents
I don't know a single millennial who's like this lol guess I just surround myself with good company 🤷🏿♂️
Lucky 😭
Proud to be part of the trend. Truly we are the least cringe generation. 🫡
If Gen Z is like this. I can't wait for Gen Alpha. Truly the world is healing.
You know, I was going to disagree with you because of the consistent cuts to public education funding, but I could also see a reality where the lack of government-provided propaganda in classrooms could significantly reduce the Red Scare influence in the youth.
When I was a kid I was told communism was bad, learning about it in school we were taught the red scare was bad because they became witch trials, not because of any of the other rational reasons.
It still holds today though, the first time a friend of mine told me he was a communist I laughed at him, it seemed so absurd to hear at the time. Then a month ago I told a new friend of mine I was a communist and he also gave the same reaction. It's interesting to see how a few conversations can open you up to an entirely different ideology. Before I was introduced to communism, it felt taboo. I thought it was a cult of ideology from a not-so-distant past, ending with the USSR as an example on how it would never work.
I see where you are coming from. I actually don't know if Gen Alpha will get any better there is always hope that China will make it happen.
I was told the same thing about Communism. I was scared at first when I started becoming politically communist. It took time for my brain to come to terms that I was a communist.
Half of gen z are still in highschool and probably have no direct experience of exploitation by landlords and employers.
Gen Z begins in 1997 and ends in 2012. Most of us are out of high school now.
So, there's room for growing? Because, it's a curious trend that can also be interpreted as "the more people ages, the more averted to communism", which is something that rings a bell here.
No older people are more anti-communist because the quality of propaganda has been degrading not because they are older.
Are you saying that once the threat of communism increases, the propaganda will get better and better, and less people will like communism?
No the opposite. Control of media was easy during the 50 and 60s. The messaging was still on point in the 70s and 80s and the material conditions were still pretty ok. In the 90s they had nobody to demonize because the USSR was gone. They pulled it together in the 2000 by stirring up islamophobia but that was only effective to Christian bigots. Today the only way to be Pro-Empire is to be an unabashed white supremacist or ignorant and it is harder and harder to stay ignorant when you can't afford rent.
No, the point is that as conditions worsen and we are further removed from the peak of the Red Scare, new generations are less exposed to that level of propagandizing and more sympathetic to communism.
I agree. Older generations were fooled by the propaganda because they had it "good" (in some ways, not all). When it comes to labor rights and wages, those benefits were handed down from communists and socialists who fought for them after the great depression.
After they benefited from the high quality of life these concessions gave, they received enough propaganda to pick away at the benefits they received, since they didn't need them anymore!
And no, I'm not saying America was ever "good", either. Settlers has a good example early on in the book about this. Early in US history, they massacred native populations and plundered their homes for animal furs. Colonizers don't care about harming others as long as they feel they receive proper compensation from the exploitation at home or abroad. I believe these same colonialist views still have a chokehold around the US population, but the same criticisms also apply to most of Europe as well.
Yep, organizers in the US Empire needs to tackle settler-colonialism as its primary contradiction.