Nearly Half of Young Americans Back Democratic Socialism as Economic Gloom Deepens

Nearly half of young Americans now view democratic socialism in a positive light, according to a fresh survey that also reveals deep pessimism about the national economy [219503]. The CNBC Generation Lab poll found that 49% of adults aged 18 to 34 hold a favorable opinion of democratic socialism, even as roughly 80% of the same group say they see the U.S. economy negatively [219503]. The findings point to a widening gap between younger generations' economic experiences and the current system, though the survey did not specify which aspects of democratic socialism respondents found appealing or detail the exact economic concerns driving their ratings [219503]. The data offers a snapshot of current sentiment rather than a forecast of future voting behavior [219503].

The poll comes amid broader political shifts in several countries. In Sweden, young voters have moved left since the last general election, with opposition parties gaining ground across multiple voter groups, according to a DN/Ipsos analysis [215448]. A separate DN/Ipsos poll found that if only young voters had decided the election, the opposition would have won, with some young Swedes citing dissatisfaction with the government on issues like crime policy and social media [215447]. In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva still leads Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a potential runoff, but his advantage has narrowed to 8.9 points, down from 12.5 points in June, according to the CNT/MDA poll [218781]. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a late-July Kyiv International Institute of Sociology study shows former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov ranking highest in public trust, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy placing fourth [215682].