Members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are proud to wear their socialism on their sleeves (and on their hats.) It lets everyone know they are serious about changing capitalism into something far more humane, transforming the system into one in which working people rather than plutocrats run the economy.

Their embrace of socialism also gives its members a sense of community. It signals a commonality in opposition to the status quo, on behalf of all working people. It’s a righteous identity that signals us against them, right against wrong, justice against injustice—a moral, almost religious bonding.

However, it also pushes people away. It creates a demarcation line between in and out. It’s not just the capitalists who are excluded, but anyone who doesn’t buy into DSA’s vision of socialism.

But why wouldn’t all working people readily embrace DSA’s socialist vision?

Let’s look at how the DSA defines its socialism:

Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit.

We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system in which ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.

The people should collectively own key economic drivers, such as energy production and transportation, that are used by all.

We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear.

We want reforms, such as Medicare for All, community-centered public safety, and the Green New Deal, that the current establishment considers radical but we think are essential for a fairer system.

So far, that sounds within the realm of progressive economic populism. Even doable, I hope, but then they go further:

Work as much as you are able and no more than needed. Control your own labor and see it going to good use. Work is not just a job to pay the bills.

You have no debt. You don’t need health insurance. You don’t pay a mortgage or have a landlord, no rent, because comfortable housing is a human right.

Your retirement is publicly funded. Food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation aren’t for-profit businesses; they are common goods and utilities.

A socialist’s day off could be like any good day now. But you should be free to spend your time how you like without worrying about cost or dreading going back to work.

And college, as well as groceries, should be free.

When DSA candidates take to the field, they focus almost entirely on populist economic demands—housing and food affordability, fair taxes on billionaires, and Medicare for All. These are socialist in the sense that Social Security, libraries, fire departments, and our current Medicare are socialist, and yet they are also firmly embedded in our capitalist system.

I have yet to encounter a DSA candidate who discusses truly socialist reforms, like the elimination of large private enterprises and workers’ control of the corporations that employ them.

We have the word “socialism” and significant portions of the DSA platform that do not have significant working-class support, yet DSA doesn’t seem bothered by being out of touch with large segments of the working class they claim to be fighting for.

Then why does DSA use the word “socialist” if it does not involve their day-to-day political debates? And why use it when it is sure to turn off many of the very working people DSA claims to represent?

The Education Class Divide

There is a significant disparity among educational groups when it comes to having positive or negative views toward socialism.

Gallup’s 2025 polling found that:

31 percent of people with some college, but no four-year degree, viewed socialism positively, compared with 66 percent who viewed it negatively.

Among people with a high-school education or less, the split was 38 percent positive to 57 percent negative.

College graduates were the most favorable educational group, with 47 percent viewing socialism positively, and 51 percent negatively.

Among independents, only 38 percent viewed socialism positively, compared with 57 percent who viewed it negatively.

This doesn’t mean working people oppose the policies associated with democratic socialism, like taxing billionaires. But it does mean that DSA’s use of the word “socialism” itself is likely to trigger a negative response and undermine its effectiveness among working-class voters, especially in red America.

Why use the word “socialism” when it’s going to turn off the very voters you hope to attract?

Because it doesn’t turn off DSA college-educated members. The reality is that despite their “Workers Deserve More” platform, DSA is a political organization by and for college graduates, especially disenchanted Democrats in blue areas. That demographic seems to have no problem with the idea of socialism. In fact, 66 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of socialism, with just 32 percent feeling negatively.

Which fits with several of the policies DSA supports that also are likely to turn off non-college working-class voters.

For example, the DSA platform calls for legalizing migration, granting amnesty to all immigrants regardless of status, providing a path to citizenship for all permanent........

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