Almost half of younger voters view capitalism negatively: Poll

Nearly half of younger voters have a negative view toward capitalism, according to a new poll.

In the NBC News poll, 47 percent of voter respondents in the age range of 18 to 29 had a negative outlook on capitalism, while 42 percent viewed socialism in a positive light, according to a report from the outlet .

Overall, 21 percent of respondents to the poll said they either see socialism in a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” light, while 48 percent said the same of capitalism. Twenty-three percent in the poll said they see socialism in a “neutral” light, while 52 percent said they see it in a “very negative” or “somewhat negative” light.

The poll follows a primary season this election cycle that saw the rise of some democratic socialist and progressive candidates.

Two of the most prominent members of the party at the moment, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), are democratic socialists. Ocasio-Cortez is also one of the most-discussed names when it comes to the potential Democratic presidential field for 2028.

The poll also comes amid wider concerns about the economy and the cost of living, with oil and gas prices rising over the last year because of the war in Iran. According to AAA, the average price of a regular gallon of gas in the U.S. Thursday afternoon was about $4.48, up from about $3.16 at the same time last year .

The NBC News poll took place Sept. 11-15 among 1,000 registered voters and a had margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.