Generation Perceptions
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes towards Socialism
October 2016
Basic Knowledge of
Communism is Lacking
2
ManyMillennialsunfamiliarwithcommunistleaders
Among Millennials
% I am unfamiliar
Mao Zedong
Che Guevara
Vladimir Lenin
Karl Marx
Harry S. Truman
Vladimir Putin
Joseph Stalin
Ronald Reagan
Bernie Sanders
John F. Kennedy
George W. Bush
Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump
42%
40%
33%
32%
25%
18%
18%
11%
9%
8%
5%
5%
4%
GreyindicatesAmericanpolitician
Redindicatesother
BASE: FAMILIAR WITH FIGURE (BASE VARIES)
Q12 Whatisyouroverallimpressionofeachofthefollowingpoliticalfigures?
3
Amongthosefamiliar,atleastaquarterhavefavorable
impressionsofGuevara,Marx,andLenin
Among Millennials Familiar with Each
Mao
4
Additionally,theimpactofcommunismisunderestimated
•
Despite recognizing that Joseph Stalin caused more deaths than George W. Bush, the
public grossly underestimates the death toll (overall and versus Hitler).
More people were killed under George W. Bush’s
presidency than Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
Number Killed by Communism
Incorrect: 75%
28%
n True (26%)
(Incorrect)
n
False (74%)
(Correct)
More people were killed under Adolf Hitler’s reign
than Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
16%
n
11%
8%
Less than 1 1 - 25
million
million
n True (68%)
(Incorrect)
25%
25 - 50
million
50 - 75
million
11%
75 - 100
100
million million or
more
False (32%)
(Correct)
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q13/13A Trueorfalse:
Q14 Overthepast100years,howmanypeopledoyouthinkcommunismhaskilled?
5
ThisisespeciallytrueamongGenZandMillennials
•
Gen Z and Millennials are more likely than their older counterparts to incorrectly
identify the number killed by communism.
Number Killed by Communism
% Getting it Wrong
59%
66% 69%
100millionkilled
71% 71%
Gen Z
88%
12%
Millennials
80%
20%
Gen X
78%
22%
29% 32% 32%
21%
14%
More people
were
killed
Bush vs.
Stalin
under George W. Bush’s
presidency than Joseph
Stalin’s leadership.
Gen Z
Millennials
Gen X
vs. were
Stalin killed
MoreHitler
people
under Adolf Hitler’s reign
than Joseph Stalin’s
leadership.
Baby Boomers
Matures
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q13/13ATrueorfalse:
Q14 Overthepast100years,howmanypeopledoyouthinkcommunismhaskilled?
Baby Boomers
Matures
69%
31%
65%
35%
Incorrect
Correct
6
Younger Americans Have
Sharply Different Views of
Communism and Socialism
than Older Americans
7
Overall,Americansrecognizecommunismwasandstillisaproblem
Communism was and still is a problem (70%)
Communism was only a 20th century problem (18%)
Communism is only a 21st
century problem (5%)
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q15 Whichofthefollowingisclosesttoyourview?
Communism has never been a problem (7%)
8
But,youngergenerationsdon’trealizethelasting
problemofcommunism
91%
80%
62%
70%
55%
26% 27%
13% 16%
6%
10% 9% 11%
3% 1%
Communism was and still is a Communism was only a 20th Communism has never been a
problem
century problem
problem
Gen Z
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q15Whichofthefollowingisclosesttoyourview?
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
2%
9% 7%
2% 2%
Communism is only a 21st
century problem
Matures
9
Millennialsaremostlikelytoviewsocialismand
communismfavorably
% Very Unfavorable
% Insult
15%
Total
Capitalism
Gen Z
57%
11%
12%
8%
Capitalism
Total
Gen Z
30%
18%
15%
30%
38%
37%
Millennials
Gen X
Gen X
62%
Communism
Socialism
Millennials
Socialism
Baby Boomers
Matures
Communism
Baby Boomers
Matures
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q5/7/9 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of…?
Q6/8/10 Do you consider calling someone a [INSERT] to be a compliment, an insult or a neutral description?
10
Nearlytwo-thirdsagreewithMarxistphilosophy
Agreement with Statements
A nation will not survive morally or
economically when so few Sanders
have so
much, while so many have so little.
(Sanders)
A society that puts equality before
freedom will get neither. A society
Friedman
that puts freedom before equality
will get a high degree of both.
(Friedman)
From each according to his
Marx
abilities, to each according to his
need. (Marx)
If any would not work, neither
Bible
should he eat. (Bible)
8%
8%
21%
36%
24%
13%
18%
Strongly disagree
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q16 Howmuchdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements?
35%
43%
23%
29%
Somewhat disagree
% Agree
71%
25%
51%
36%
Somewhat agree
68%
13%
17%
64%
53%
Strongly agree
11
Appealofsocialistcandidatesamongyounger
generationscontinues
Intent to Vote for Candidate who Self-describes as…
% Likely
Capitalist
32%
27%
% Likely
90%
59%
80%
70%
Socialist
29%
40%
11%
60%
50%
46%
45%
40%
7%
Fascist 5% 2%
44%
33%
30%
20%
18%
10%
9%
Communist 7% 2%
Somewhat likely
0%
Gen Z
Very likely
Socialist
Millennials
Fascist
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q11 Howlikelywouldyoubetovoteforapresidentialcandidatewhodescribedhimorherselfasthefollowing?
Gen X
Baby
Boomers
Capitalist
Matures
Communist
12
Turning Against Capitalism –
the Bernie Sanders “Bounce”
13
Acrossgenerations,abouthalffeelAmerica’seconomic
systemworksagainstthem
America’s Economic System…
Works for me
Works against me
48%
Gen Z
53%
52%
47%
Millennials
47%
53%
Gen X
48%
52%
Baby Boomers
Matures
44%
59%
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q1 WhichofthefollowingisclosesttoyourviewofAmerica’scurrenteconomicsystem?
56%
41%
14
FewerMillennialshaveafavorableviewofcapitalism
% Favorable
Age 65+:
64%
71%
50%
54%
47%
42%
45%
Capitalism
Total
Gen Z
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q5/7/9 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of…?
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures
15
4in10callforcompletechangeofeconomicsystemto
correctincomeimbalance
“The highest earners in the United
States pay their fair share.”
Agree.
Highestearners
paytheirfair
share
How to ensure high earners pay fair
share
12%
Remove loopholes
Reduce deductions
Flat tax
22%
46%
40%
Disagree.
Highestearners
doNOTpaytheir
fairshare
29%
67%
38%
Total
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q3 Pleasetellmehowstronglyyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatement.
BASE:DISAGREE(n=1,537)
Q4Whatchangewouldensurethehighestearnerspaytheirfairshare?
9%
5%
Increased
charitable
donations
Increased taxes
Complete
change of our
economic
system
Other
16
YoungergenerationslessreceptivetoFriedman’s
capitalistideals
% Agree
71%
A nation will not survive morally or
Sanders
economically when so few have so
much,
while so many have so little. (Sanders)
A society that puts equality before
freedom will get neither. A society that
Friedman
puts freedom before equality will get a
high degree of both. (Friedman)
68%
Total
Gen Z
Millennials
64%
From each according to his abilities, to
Marx
each according to his need. (Marx)
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures
53%
If any would not work, neither should he
Bible
eat. (Bible)
BASE: ALL RESPONDENTS
Q16 Howmuchdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements?
17
Methodology
OnlineSurvey
6minutes
2,300General
PublicAge16+
The respondents were matched to a sampling frame on gender, age, race, education, party identification, ideology, and political interest. The frame was constructed by
stratified sampling from the full 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) sample, and matched on other variables to the November 2010 Current Population Survey, and 2007
Pew Religious Life Survey. Each set of matched cases were weighted to its sampling frame using propensity scores. The matched cases and the frame were combined and a
logistic regression was estimated for inclusion in the frame.
18