Poll: Government workers more likely to support socialism, Second Amendment repeal

A new survey has found that support for socialist economic policies among government workers is higher than among the general population, as is their support for repealing the Second Amendment.

A survey of likely voters conducted by the pollster Rasmussen Reports and the free-market Heartland Institute found that 69 percent of Americans favor capitalism over socialism, and that 50 percent would not vote for a self-described socialist.

The survey found that Republican voters and those unaffiliated with a political party favored a free-market economic system overwhelmingly, including 87 percent of GOP voters and 69 percent of unaffiliated voters.

By comparison, just 53 percent of Democrat voters agreed.

As is the case with previous surveys, younger Americans between the ages of 18-39 are more likely to favor socialist candidates, as were government workers.

The poll found “36 percent of respondents who said they work for the government said they would ‘vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist,’ the highest of any employment demographic we tested,” said the analysis by Heartland research director Justin Haskins.

Just under one-in-four of those polled overall — 24 percent — supported repealing the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

However, 32 percent of government employees backed a repeal, the highest of any employment demographic.

Government workers were closer to other voters on legislation to ban private ownership of “assault-style rifles,” with 46 percent of public employees favoring such a ban and 49 percent of those polled overall in support.

Haskins said the results of the survey were concerning.

“I think it signifies that we have an entire class of government workers across the country that are primarily interested in dramatically expanding their own power,” he said.

“It’s particularly telling that you have a very large class of people all across the country, not just in Washington, that are essentially voting and asking for dramatically more power over their communities.”