Nearly Half of Young Voters Now View Capitalism Negatively, NBC Poll Finds

Young voters are turning on capitalism

Nearly half of voters aged 18 to 29 now view capitalism negatively, according to a new NBC News poll.

The survey found 47% of voters in that age group hold a negative view of capitalism, while 42% view socialism positively.

That split marks a first. For the first time in nearly a decade of NBC News polling, registered voters under 30 hold more positive views of socialism than of capitalism.

The broader electorate looks very different

Among all voters, 48% view capitalism positively, while just 21% say the same about socialism.

Positive views of capitalism have also dropped since 2018, even as voters overall remain wary of socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America.

The gap is generational, not national. Younger voters are far more skeptical of the current system than older voters, and that divide is showing up as DSA aligned candidates win high profile primaries this year.

Do you want to see how to make more plays? Do you want to find gains yourself? Unusual Whales helps you find market opportunities through our market tide, historical options flow, GEX, and much, much more. Create a free account here to start conquering the market with Unusual Whales

How this could hit the options market

Polls like this do not move a tape on their own, but they shape the policy menu for the next election cycle. Talk of higher taxes, price controls, and expanded public programs tends to pressure multiples in health care, energy, and big tech.

Watch positioning in broad index products like SPY and QQQ around debates and primaries, and in policy sensitive names such as XLE and UNH if these ideas move from polling into platforms.

The trade, if one develops, is a long dated policy trade. For now, sentiment among the youngest voters is the signal.

Ready to track the flow around stories like this? Sign up for Unusual Whales and start finding your next play today.