Survey: 70 percent of American Millennials say they'll likely vote socialist — and a third view communism favorably

According to a new survey, 70 percent of American Millennials say they'll likely vote socialist — and 1 in 3 of them view communism favorably.

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation survey — its fourth annual Report on U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism — was conducted in early September and was compiled from 2,100 people's responses.

What are the details?

Millennials' support for communism (36 percent) was an increase over 2018 figures, the survey said, adding that only 1 in 2 Millennials (ages 23-38) and Generation Z (ages 16-22) members have a favorable opinion of capitalism — down 6 points and 8 points from 2018, respectively.

In addition:

• About 1 in 5 Millennials (22 percent) believe that "society would be better if all private property was abolished," compared to 1 percent of the Silent Generation, the survey said.
• 45 percent of Millennials and Generation Z members believe that "all higher education should be free," the survey added.
• 15 percent of Millennials believe the world would be better off if the Soviet Union still existed, the survey also said.

“The historical amnesia about the dangers of communism and socialism is on full display in this year's report," Marion Smith, executive director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said about the survey results. "When we don't educate our youngest generations about the historical truth of 100 million victims murdered at the hands of communist regimes over the past century, we shouldn't be surprised at their willingness to embrace Marxist ideas. We need to redouble our efforts to educate America's youth about the history of communist regimes and the dangers of socialism today."

Anything else?

About a quarter of Americans — across all generational groups — view President Donald Trump as the biggest threat to world peace over figures such as North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin, the survey indicated.

Also:

• 72 percent of Americans incorrectly say communism has killed less than 100 million people in the past 100 years, the survey said.
• While 88 percent of Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation believe China is a communist country and not a democratic country, only 57 percent of Generation Z members and 62 percent of Millennials hold the same view, the survey noted.
• While 94 percent of Silent Generation members believe the Declaration of Independence better guarantees freedom and inequality than the Communist Manifesto, only 57 percent of Millennials hold the same view, the survey indicated.

Just a continuing trend

In 2017, TheBlaze wrote about a veteran pollster at Harvard University who found millennials are embracing socialism at "alarming rates." Last year, TheBlaze noted that more and more millennials are considering communism as well.

And just a few months ago, a Gallup Poll found that nearly half of Americans said they would vote for a socialist presidential candidate.