CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism
Americans think more young people in office would make politics better.
August 16, 2026 / 9:00 AM EDT / CBS News
Most Americans believe a free market system is a good thing.
Americans are net-negative on socialism . Capitalism is better-liked.
But those ideas aside, right now they say it's harder now to do things like buy a house , raise a family, and to just feel financially secure than for the last generation. Younger people are especially apt to feel opportunities are fewer.
So most also call the current U.S. economic system unfair, in terms of the way it works for chances to get ahead .
That has downstream effects on politics, including those seen in this year's Democratic primary battles: