Nordic Capitalism, Venezuelan Socialism & Voters’ Perceptions
Tom Donelson, Americas Majority Foundation
JD Johannes, VCreek/AMG
Summary & Introduction
To a slim plurality of voters, the word ‘Socialism’ does not mean a dictatorship of the proletariat seizing the means of production.
In fact, many voters, Republican and Democrat hold positive views of Socialism and Capitalism simultaneously.
We surveyed voters how they view the terms Socialism and Capitalism. On socialism, we asked “When you hear or read the term ‘socialism’, do you think of Scandinavian Social Democracies like Denmark and Sweden OR Venezuela, North Korea and the Former Soviet Union.” On Capitalism, we asked, “When you hear or read the phrase ‘free market capitalism do you think…It is an economic system that allows people to pursue their passions and create their own careers and businesses or do you think It is an economic system where those at the top benefit at the expense of the rest.”
Our goal was to understand the prism through which they view both Socialism and Capitalism.
At the Top Line, 52% of all respondents’ associate “Socialism” with “Denmark/Sweden.” Simultaneously, 52% relate “Free Market Capitalism” to “pursue their passions.”
Sixty-seven percent of Democrats think “Denmark/Sweden” when they hear the word “Socialism.” When Democrats hear the term “free market capitalism” 64% respond “it is an economic system where those at the top benefit at the expense of the rest.”
For Republicans, the numbers are essentially reversed.
Democrats associate socialism with the Scandinavian countries that have robust welfare states and “social democracy.” Republicans view Socialism as what is happening in Venezuela, where the society has totally collapsed into massive poverty.
These results are not surprising.
What is more intriguing is understanding that among the 52% who associate “Socialism” with “Denmark/Sweden” more than half also associate “free market capitalism” with “an economic system that allows people to pursue their passions and create their own careers and businesses?”
A full 27% of respondents answered in favor of Nordic Social Democracies and Free Market Capitalism. It should be noted that Denmark and Sweden are indeed Free Market Democracies.
Among the Democrats who answered “Denmark/Sweden” a full 40% also associated capitalism with pursuing their passions. These Democrat’s embrace of Socialism is not about a dictatorship of the proletariat seizing the means of production, it is more likely a desire for a robust health care and social services safety net.
Highly visible factions of the Democratic Party have moved sharply to the left and many are now openly socialists and Bernie Sanders is not the only one willing to admit his socialistic views. Many of the Democratic proposals are even more to the left than what many Scandinavian politicians would propose.
Many Republicans and quite a few Independents view socialism as a failed economic system. A key feature of the 2020 elections may be how Americans view socialism and capitalism. If Americans decide the values that undergird the Scandinavian view of social democracy as the path they want, the Democrats will win, and many Americans do view Capitalism as a system that benefit those at the top and not those below the 1%.