Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: Likely Voters Reject Socialism, Socialist Candidates, Repeal of Second Amendment

Justin Haskins Heartland Institute
Published November 25, 2019

The survey is published here (as well as on StoppingSocialism.com) publicly for the first time. It will also be published by Rasmussen Reports the week of November 25.

For questions about the survey or to book a Heartland policy expert to discuss the results of the survey, contact Heartland Editorial Director Justin Haskins at [email protected].

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters on Socialism and Sanders, Warren
Conducted November 13-14, 2019
By The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports

1* Which is better – a free-market economic system or socialism?

69% A free-market economic system
12% Socialism
18% Not sure

2* Would you vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist?

26% Yes
50% No
24% Not sure

3* Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Bernie Sanders?

18% Very favorable
29% Somewhat favorable
17% Somewhat unfavorable
31% Very unfavorable
5% Not sure

4* Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Elizabeth Warren?

17% Very favorable
25% Somewhat favorable
15% Somewhat unfavorable
34% Very unfavorable
9% Not sure

5*Do you support legislation that would ban private ownership of “assault-style” rifles?

49% Yes
43% No
8% Not sure

6*Do you support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to “bear arms”?

24% Yes
66% No
10% Not sure

IMPORTANT Crosstabs and Statistics Related to These Questions

*Note that in the following results, those who answered “other” when asked for party affiliation are referred to as “independents” below. Respondents were given three options for party affiliation: “Republican,” “Democrat,” and “other.”

Socialism and views of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren

  • 31% of Democrats and 50% of independents said they would not “vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist.”
  • 36% 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.
  • 20% of respondents with a “very favorable” impression of Bernie Sanders said they would not “vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist.” 17% of respondents with a “very favorable” impression of Sanders said they were “not sure” if they would “vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist.”
  • 19% of respondents with a “very favorable” impression of Elizabeth Warren said they would not “vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist.” 19% of respondents with a “very favorable” impression of Warren said they were “not sure” if they would “vote for a presidential candidate who identifies himself or herself as a socialist.”

Assault-Style Rifles

  • 46% of those who identified as working for the government said they “support legislation that would ban private ownership of ‘assault-style’ rifles.”
  • Only 43% of independents and 32% of Republicans said they “support legislation that would ban private ownership of ‘assault-style’ rifles.”
  • 69% of those who said socialism is “better” than a free-market economic system said they “support legislation that would ban private ownership of ‘assault-style’ rifles.”
  • 77% of likely voters who said they would vote for someone who identifies as a socialist also said they “support legislation that would ban private ownership of ‘assault-style’ rifles.”

Repealing the Second Amendment

  • 46% of those who said they have a “very favorable” view of Bernie Sanders said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms.'” 30% of “somewhat favorable” Sanders supporters said they support repealing the Second Amendment.
  • 41% of those who said they have a “very favorable” view of Elizabeth Warren said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms.'” 30% of “somewhat favorable” Warren supporters said they support repealing the Second Amendment.
  • One in four (24%) likely voters said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms.'”
  • 36% of those who said they “support legislation that would ban private ownership of ‘assault-style’ rifles” also said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms.'” 11% said they were unsure. Only 53%, about half, of those who support a ban on ‘assault-style’ rifles said they do not support repealing the Second Amendment.
  • 33% of likely voters aged 18–39 said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms,'” the highest of any age group.
  • One in three Democrats (34%) said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms,'” compared to 19% of Republicans and 16% of independents.
  • 32% of respondents who said they work for the government also said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms,'” the highest of any “employment” demographic we tested.
  • 39% of those who said socialism is “better” than a free-market economic system said they “support repealing the Second Amendment, which currently guarantees Americans’ right to ‘bear arms.'”

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence

See more results from this poll at the links below:

Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: Likely Voters’ Views on Climate Change

Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: Likely Voters Support Free Speech, Reject Socialism