Americans remain deeply divided over what socialism actually means, even as new polling shows the ideology's favorability at its highest level in more than a decade. That divide was on full display at a street festival in Takoma Park, Maryland, a liberal enclave where residents offered sharply different definitions of the term and expressed mixed feelings about surrendering private property to government or collective control.
Nina Gilden Seavey, a documentary filmmaker and self-described historian, said there is no single answer to the question. «The fact is that there's no one answer,» she said. Jenny Sniderman offered a more concrete list, pointing to «public libraries, the police department, the fire department, all our public services, utilities» as examples of socialism in practice. Jaw Blake described it as a system where benefits are broadly available rather than reserved for a select group. «It's not a special group that gets to have them, it's just available,» he said.
The differing interpretations come as a September Gallup poll found that 43% of Americans hold a positive image of socialism, the highest level since the organization began tracking the question in 2010. The survey, however, does not provide respondents with a definition of socialism or ask whether they would support adopting it in the United States. That ambiguity leaves open the question of whether voters are embracing the movement's promises on affordability and equality or its broader proposals for economic ownership and control.
When pressed on socialism as an economic system, festival-goers showed notable skepticism about collective ownership. Sniderman was direct about her reluctance to give up private property. «Do I want to give up my private property? Of course I don't want to give up my private property,» she said, adding that fair reimbursement would help her decide. Blake said he would consider it if it proved beneficial. «I don't know that I would necessarily love it,» he said. «But I mean, if it was something that was beneficial, I'd at least consider it.» He added that while nobody wants to lose what they have, there is value in setting up systems that make resources available to everyone.
Seavey questioned whether the government is equipped to manage private assets effectively. «I think the government is not the greatest steward of assets,» she said. «It's not to say that capitalism is somehow without flaw, but the fact is that there is an idealism that can come from thinking, 'Oh, if we had some more centrality, if there was some kind of uber organization in charge of reallocation.'» She also argued that the growing democratic socialist movement should not be confused with traditional socialism. «This is not socialism. This is democratic socialism. It's different,» she said. «Socialism is where there is a massive redistribution of wealth. We are not having redistribution of wealth in this country.»
The Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the country, advocates redistributing wealth from wealthy individuals and corporations to workers and lower-income Americans. The group also calls for a public stake in major corporations and essential industries rather than private ownership. That platform stands in contrast to the more moderate definitions offered by some festival attendees, underscoring the lack of consensus around the label.
A 2018 survey asking Americans to define socialism in their own words found that just 17% described it in terms of government ownership or control of businesses or the means of production. Another 23% associated it with equality, while 10% pointed to social benefits and services. Nearly a quarter could not provide an answer at all. Those findings suggest that public opinion on socialism is shaped as much by vague associations as by concrete policy preferences.
Seavey argued that political labels themselves have distorted the conversation. «Let's think about it differently and let's take away these ridiculous stigmas that have to do with these crazy labels that we have allowed the right wing to foment onto the rest of America,» she said. As socialist-aligned candidates gain ground within the Democratic Party heading into midterm elections, the debate over what socialism means — and whether voters support its full economic agenda — is likely to intensify.