While many are fearing the rise of socialism in the U.S., it is worth noting that the term means different things to different people. The most recent Napolitan News survey offers more tangible evidence of this phenomenon.
Napolitan News presented various campaign pledges mentioned by the Democratic Socialists of America, asking if voters would be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who promised these things. The results are insightful.
The Platforms
Virtues
Creating more government housing for those living in poverty:
This is by far the most popular platform of those we polled, with voters saying they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who promised this by 62% to 25% margin. Eight in 10 Democrats (81%) support the idea, while Republicans are split: 45% favor the idea, and 41% oppose it.
It is supported by majorities of those politically active and those disengaged, and across nearly every measured demographic divide. In fact, even those who oppose socialism favor this concept by a margin of 48% to 37%.
Free public transit for all:
The only other pledge to achieve majority support, 53% of all voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate who made this pledge. Nearly a third (31%) are opposed.
Again, the partisan divide is stark: Democrats would vote for such a candidate by a margin of 68% to 15%, while Republicans would be more likely to vote against such a candidate by a margin of 51% to 35%. It is worth noting that Traditional GOP voters say they would be more likely to vote for such a candidate by a narrow 45% to 41% margin, while voters who prefer policies like President Trump's would oppose such a candidate.
Here, while those who say they favor socialism overwhelmingly support a candidate making such a promise (74%), those who do not are opposed to the idea by double digits.
The Specifics
A single-payer, government run, healthcare system:
This pledge is the only one to be evenly split. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate promising this, and 38% say they would be less likely. A narrow majority of Democrats (53%) favor the idea, while 6 in 10 Republicans (61%) are opposed.
Americans agree our healthcare system is broken; just 25% say it is Good or Excellent. The fact that 8 in 10 voters say that the CDC has been captured by Big Pharma also doesn't help. However, just 40% of voters know that more than half of all healthcare spending in the U.S. is paid for by the federal government.
Government taking over oil companies and energy production:
Overall, just 20% of voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate who promised this. On this topic, there isn't even a partisan divide.
Just 22% of Republicans and 19% of Democrats favor such an idea. (The Republicans are "boosted" by a third (32%) of Trump-policy voters who are currently happy with who is in the White House.)
Even among those who favor socialm, just 31% think this approach is a good idea.
Defunding the police:
Popularity only sinks from there. A mere 15% of voters would be attracted to this campaign pledge. Overall, 7 in 10 (68%) would be less likely, inluding majorities of Republicans (82%) and Democrats (56%). Less than 3 in 10 (28%) who say they favor socialism would be more likely to vote for a candidate who made this part of their platform.
Freedom for all people currently in jail:
This DSA pledge is the least attractive to voters, with just 12% saying they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who promised this. Only 1 in 5 (20%) of those who say they like socialism would be attracted to a candidate with this on their platform.
The Conclusion
Voters like the idea of things like more government housing for those in poverty; very few don't. Similarly, a majority like the idea of free public transit; but these things do little more than signal altruistic virtues. When specifics are proposed, like government involvment taking over oil companies or defunding the police, voters have no interest. Even those who favor socialism (less than 1 in 3 voters overall) are dramatically opposed to such ideas.
On the issue of healthcare, the split on that topic can largely be attributed to seeing a need for change, and lack of awareness of the current amount of government involvement.
In light of this, recent DSA candidate wins in low-turnout primary elections should be considered a gift to the Republican party. The more voters know about specifics of the DSA platform, the less interested they become.
This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, July 13-14, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.
