In 2026, Democratic Socialist candidates are doing better than they did in 2020, when they first entered the political scene.
And the biggest group of supporters for these types of candidates are young people.
But among young males, a trend is taking place. More are going to church, and at the same time, more are identifying themselves as turning to socialism.
Gallup found that the share of young men who say religion is very important to them jumped from 28% to 42% in two years, while young women held flat at 29. At the same time, a Cato poll this summer put Gen Z at 53 percent favorable toward socialism against 45 for capitalism.
A CBS/YouGov survey found only 9% of Americans under 30 hold a very positive view of capitalism, against 33% of those over 65.
“Those get reported as two separate stories, and usually as opposites. They are not. A generation that was handed a plan is out looking for something else, and right now the two loudest answers are a church and a political movement,” says Joël Malm, teaching pastor at Crossroads Church and founder of Summit Leaders,
Malm says young men are filing up churches while at the same time, their peers are turning to socialism.
“One group is going to church and the other is getting political” said Malm.
