Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism

[jw74]

My take: this is the results of 5 decades of leftist control of college faculties.

Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism
Thursday, April 09, 2009
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Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates also available on Twitter.

The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism

It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets.

Other survey data supports that notion. Rather than seeing large corporations as committed to free markets, two-out-of-three Americans believe that big government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.

Fifteen percent (15%) of Americans say they prefer a government-managed economy, similar to the 20% support for socialism. Just 14% believe the federal government would do a better job running auto companies, and even fewer believe government would do a better job running financial firms.

Most Americans today hold views that can generally be defined as populist while only seven percent (7%) share the elitist views of the Political Class.

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http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/just_53_say_capitalism_better_than_socialism

[The Reaper]

This question should have been asked only if the respondents could articulate the differences between the forms of government.

TR

[29Tudor]

Just questioning here, but do 53% of Americans actually know the difference of Capitalism and Socialism?

I am a Senior at a University outside of Philly and I have heard so many definitions for Capitalism and Socialism coming from students that I have come to the realization that most people have no idea exactly what each of them are.

Not just college students but some of the discussions I get in with adults outside of my classes, people have no idea. They either hate one and love the other because they are told to or they have no opinion because they do not care.

Many people probably dislike of capitalism over socialism because they think it is something other than what it really is.

And back to the corner.

[dennisw]

This is a very comforting poll. :rolleyes: If ignorance is truly bliss, we should be a very happy nation.

This question should have been asked only if the respondents could articulate the differences between the forms of government.

I think they would probably get stumped on the word "articulate", let alone the differences between the forms of government. If this poll is accurate, it's just another in a long list of distressing news items.

Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. I guess the one out of five investors is the one who lost the most money recently.

There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism.

No wonder Obama won.

[Box]

...is capitalism that type of elitist society that lets the greedy ruling class live fat upon the backs of the downtrodden working class?

I am not sure what is what I just know I want the system that punishes the evil dungeon masters who profit from my hard work as they paint their walls in gold as my children beg for a morsel of bread. I want my share of the days toll, which I have worked hard to produce. It doesnt matter that the tools, machinery, resource and facility I work in were all paid for by the master, it was the sweat of MY brow that produced the insignificant little widget and I should share the same warm bowl of beef stew as the corporate big wig who rides in the private jet and eats his stew of Kobe beef instead of the bland peasant roast I have been forced to choke down.
I want my share of the masterS wealth!

I demand my share! Enough is enough.
A chicken in every pot I say! I want my chicken!

I WANT MY CHICKEN

[Richard]

MOO re: polls like this or any other - opinions being used to influence other's opinions - a collection of the opinions of those who most often could care less about the topic in question and just want to end the nonsense they got themselves into when they agreed to answer a couple of questions over the telephone. What irritates me is (1) how the questions are slanted, (2) how they don't ever tell you the questions that were dropped from the final results because they didn't 'fit' the answers they were seeking, and (3) how they are commonly used to support somebody's agenda - which is often in direct contrast to what I would desire to see happen.

I have yet to complete one of these miracles of modern social, psychological, mathematical, and digital science being conducted by those who could not get on with the TSA - mainly because they will call and (1) they already have too many respondents who fit my profile (which, BTW, is equatorially expanding between my Tropics of Cancer - belly button - and Capricorn - bottom of my a$$ - as I sit here eating these Frito scoops and bean dip with my diet Coke) or (2) I'll debate the 'only' answers they want me to give - most of which I cannot wholly agree or disagree with - until they get tired of it all and usually wind up with a 'block voting' situation whereby they check all the undecided or no opinion boxes. :p

They haven't called me in quite a while about taking any opinion polls. :confused:

I like to do the same thing with the guys in white shirts on bicycles or the Watchtower peddlers when they show up. I think they've put a daub of blood somewhere on my house that only they can see because they've stopped coming around, too.

Now if only the 'do not call' listing worked that well. ;)

But, hey - that's just my opinion.
Richard's $.02 :munchin

[Sigaba]

I'm not prone to feelings of bitterness.:p So I was quite surprised by the rant I had after reading the poll. The questions and doubts that came to my mind were in accord with the views already expressed in this thread.:mad:

Then it occurred to me that the results of this poll are extremely useful.

Many have made the case that the president is pursuing a socialist agenda that is antithetical to America's values. Some have raised these concerns in the hopes that more and more Americans will reach the same conclusion and do more to thwart the incumbent's policies.

What this poll tells us is that not only may this dog not hunt, but also that the argument may be working against itself. 47% of Americans encountering the proposition that the president is a socialist are, for what ever reason, thinking "That's not such a bad thing."

Is it time to revise, to re-imagine, to reboot, or to scrap entirely this line of criticism?:munchin

[6.8SPC_DUMP]

What this poll tells us is that not only may this dog not hunt, but also that the argument may be working against itself. 47% of Americans encountering the proposition that the president is a socialist are, for what ever reason, thinking "That's not such a bad thing."

Before any more analysis you should reread the first few lines of the article.

Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey:

53% of American adults prefer capitalism
27% of American adults are unsure
20% of American adults prefer socialism

[Utah Bob]

This question should have been asked only if the respondents could articulate the differences between the forms of government.

TR

Bingo!

[Team Sergeant]

Then it occurred to me that the results of this poll are extremely useful.



Yes, it not only show how many Americans are complete morons but it show their numbers are growing at a rapid pace.

Fast forward to obama and the dimocrats granting amnesty to "millions" of illegals, millions more for the moron gene pool that "will" vote for a better "handout", free medical, free education, free housing, in the future.

IMO We are moving toward socialism at an exponential rate.

[Richard]

When I looked at the numbers, I considered the following:

- 1 opinion = 1 a$$hole

- >50% support capitalism (whether they understand it or not) and <20% support socialism (whether they understand it or not)

I think O-bee has a myopically Chicago precinct point-of-view when it comes to community organizing and doesn't have the nation-wide support he thinks he has for his BIG plans. ;)

But that's just my opinion.

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[D9 (RIP)]

Before any more analysis you should reread the first few lines of the article.

Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey:

53% of American adults prefer capitalism
27% of American adults are unsure
20% of American adults prefer socialism


So, at a minimum, 47% of the country are idiots. Probably higher. The future looks bright.

[KClapp]

So, at a minimum, 47% of the country are idiots. Probably higher. The future looks bright.

You are quite correct. It would be nice if we outlawed oxygen theft, but that would leave Washington defacto criminals.

[Richard]

So, at a minimum, 47% of the country are idiots. Probably higher. The future looks bright.

Actually - I'd say it was like 20% confirmed - I wouldn't include the 27% of undecideds in there...

But that's just my opinion. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[Sigaba]

Before any more analysis you should reread the first few lines of the article.

Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey:

53% of American adults prefer capitalism
27% of American adults are unsure
20% of American adults prefer socialism


6.8, thank you for the suggestion to reread that part of the article before doing any more analysis.

My comment should have read that 20% of Americans encountering the proposition that the president is a socialist are, for what ever reason, thinking "That's not such a bad thing," and another 27% are thinking "That may not be such a bad thing."

I believe that my concluding questions remain useful. The warnings of encroaching socialism are falling on 47% of Americans who think that socialism is not antithetical to the core values of this country.

How might critics who think that the president is taking the country along a path towards socialism reframe their argument so it resonates among tin-eared Americans who are following the one-note horn bleating "change"?

[6.8SPC_DUMP]

How might critics who think that the president is taking the country along a path towards socialism reframe their argument so it resonates among tin-eared Americans who are following the one-note horn bleating "change"?

Great question - I should ask myself more often. The short answer I'd give:

"Lightly regulated capitalism is what led us to prosperity in the past, so the government shouldn't prevent the development of what works, because their programs are no substitute. We cannot barrow ourselves to a balanced budget, as a country, just like a person can't get out of credit card debt by taking a loan to pay it off."

My longer answer is more grim, from what I understand our position to be, and the way we are dealing with it.

Many prominent investors disagree, but I see the bailouts and "stimulus packages" as a final looting of our faulty debt based economy: for a redistribution of wealth. It's not going to bring up the lower class or improve the avg. living standards; but reallocate MUCH more power to the uber-rich and government. Instead of letting the faulty banking and monitory systems fail, the problem is being compounded by a "survival of the weakest" initiative, which puts more power into sectors that are not functional. Two-Thirds of our Consumer Price Index (Cost of Living Index) is already comprised of the tax and housing expenses. Free market innovation is being stifled, so when the house of cards inevitably falls, these sectors are posed to be in the advantageous position.

Our total debt (private and government) is over 56 trillion = 175K+ PER PERSON living in the US. Our mighty Military power and global economic influence should be enough leverage to say "Sorry China, Japan and Germany, the Fed. isn't working out for us so we need to try something new". What are they going to do: Nuke us when they need us? We will lose the BS AAA rating and have a permanent black eye, but it would give the country a real chance to come back by wiping 40+ trillion dollars off the balance sheet, that I can't see us repaying anyhow. It would be a time of turmoil and suffering for the US but what are the alternatives? More bankrupt institutions, less working, currency value dropping, increase of the already high inflation % and deflated global influence. This will happen when we stop getting money from other central banks. China has already said they don't want our long-term bonds (so we just borrowed 250 billion from Europe) and the Swiss don't want to take on more US bank accounts. The only reason the Fed. was able to pull this off in the first place was to get off the gold standard and because the USD is the world standard. The communist countries are already making plans for an IMF currency, which the Fed. is fine with (seeing as the private shareholders want to get their % of lending from some source), because we are sucked dry. I hope I'm wrong.

Alan Greenspan in 1966
"In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. The abandonment of the gold standard made it possible for welfare statists to use the banking system as a means to an unlimited expansion of credit (debt creation)"

Alan Greenspan in 2002
"It was the case that the price level in 1929 was not much different, on net, from what it had been in 1800. But, in the two decades following the abandonment of the gold standard in 1933, the consumer price index in the United States nearly doubled. And, in the four decades after that, prices quintupled. Monetary policy, unleashed from the constraint of domestic gold convertibility, has allowed a persistent over issuance of money. As recently as a decade ago, central bankers, having witnessed more than a half-century of chronic inflation, appeared to confirm that a fiat currency was inherently subject to excess."