A new CNBC poll with Generation Lab finds that nearly half of young Americans view democratic socialism favorably, even as a high-profile progressive candidate lost a gubernatorial primary this week.
The survey of 1,088 people aged 18 to 34, conducted earlier this month, shows 46% hold a “favorable” or “very favorable” view of democratic socialism, according to the poll released Wednesday. Only 23% expressed unfavorable opinions, with the rest neutral or undecided. The margin of error is 2.97 percentage points. This is the first year the poll was conducted, and it complements the CNBC All-America Economic Survey released last month.
The findings come as democratic socialist candidates have gained traction in primaries across New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado, including a mayoral primary win in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. In Wisconsin, Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist running for governor, narrowly lost her primary to Milwaukee County executive David Crowley. Hong told supporters Tuesday night, “We built something that will change politics forever. The work we’ve done will be remembered.”
The poll also reveals deep economic pessimism among young adults. Nearly 80% said they have a negative view of the national economy. When asked to rate it, 45% said “bad,” 27% said “really bad,” and 6% said it “couldn’t be worse.” Only 2% said it “couldn’t be better,” and 3% called it “great.” Looking ahead, 50% expect the economy to get worse, while just 22% expect improvement.
Financial pain points are widespread. Housing is the top pressure point for 45% of respondents, followed by finding a secure, decent-paying job at 39%. Student loans, credit card debt, and healthcare also ranked high. As a result, 47% have delayed vacations, 32% have paused plans to buy a car, 30% have put off buying a home, and 28% have skipped healthcare.
AI Anxiety and Regulation Views
Artificial intelligence is a growing concern. Nearly half (45%) believe AI will negatively impact their careers, while only 10% see it as helpful. On regulation, 40% say the federal government should set AI rules, 36% prefer an independent expert body, and just 8% say AI shouldn’t be regulated. A majority (60%) believe data center construction “must be slowed,” while 15% favor speeding it up.
Trust in AI leaders is strikingly low. When asked about nine prominent figures, a majority of respondents said they don’t trust each one to act responsibly on AI. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella fared best, but still 65% said they don’t trust him. Palantir CEO Alex Karp scored worst at 81% distrust, followed by Palantir Chairman Peter Thiel at 79%. About 75% distrust Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and SpaceX’s Elon Musk each drew around 70% distrust.
Money Habits and Prediction Markets
On personal finance, 53% of respondents keep their money in the bank, 46% spend on things they enjoy, and 38% are paying off credit card or college debt.
Prediction markets are gaining traction with younger people. One-third said they used a platform like Kalshi or Polymarket “once or twice” in the past 30 days, 30% said “two to five times,” and 11% traded “more than once per week.” CNBC notes it has a commercial relationship with Kalshi, including customer acquisition and a minority investment.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/13/cnbc-poll-half-of-those-18-to-34-view-democratic-socialism-positively.html
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