Americans May Be Too Religious To Embrace Socialism: FiveThirtyEight

[Canadian Interloper]

By Andrew R. Lewis and Paul A. Djupe

For over a century, scholars have wondered why the United States has never had a viable socialist movement. Socialist parties in other Western democracies, such as Britain’s Labour Party and Germany’s Social Democratic Party, are regularly in and out of power, but the best socialist showing for president in the U.S. was Eugene Debs’s 6 percent in 1912.1

Bernie Sanders has made socialism relevant again in this country. But will the U.S. join much of Western Europe in developing a successful socialist political tradition? Short of that, will the Sanders campaign ignite a new movement? Both are unlikely, at least for now, and a big part of the explanation why may lie in religion — religion inhibits socialism’s spread and explains its lack of political mobilization.

To understand the relationship between socialist values and religion, we used the 2013 Public Religion Research Institute’s “Economic Values Study.” As part of the survey, respondents were asked how much they agreed with a battery of statements regarding economic values, including “It is the responsibility of the government to take care of people who can’t take care of themselves,” The government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and poor” and “The government should guarantee health insurance for all citizens.” We combined these into a “socialism scale,” the results of which suggest the average American is just left of center.

The conventional wisdom is that the individualist, evangelical style of American religion is a strong antidote to socialism. If faith alone can lead you to salvation, then efforts to reshape society are beside the point. But the animosity between them has been more pointed, especially regarding so called “Godless communists” who portrayed religion as the “opiate of the masses.” In these data, those who agreed that social problems would be resolved if enough people had a personal relationship with God were 20 percent less socialist than those who disagreed. A worldview that pits faith directly against collective action explains clearly why collectivist efforts have traditionally foundered in the U.S.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-may-be-too-religious-to-embrace-socialism/

I really don't know why so many Americans are frightened by the s-word. We've had a socialist-capitalist hybrid system for decades, and we still get to make our own decisions! (Except when it comes to hockey: You can and will be prosecuted for failure to love the sport.)

[JFKDem62]

1. None of the old rules and norms seem to fit this election cycle.

[TM99]

2. Well it is a good thing

that organized religion and American's who are members is at an all time low.

Really, 538 needs to just stop. They are attempting to speak on topics now and use those to bolster their biased conclusions that they just are not qualified to opine on.

[Trajan]

3. Totally skipped over the Great Depression and FDR

I guess that FDR shouldn't be remembered, because, you know ... He only served a very embarrassing FOUR TERMS ... what a sap!

[malthaussen]

5. FDR did not use the word "socialist."

I'll agree that 538 is not infallible. And I think it is a reasonable question whether the rabid religiousity of a significant percentage of voters is sufficient to determine any issue. But it is obvious to anyone looking that religious rhetoric does enter into many of our social discussions. Combined with the rabid anti-red rhetoric to which we were all exposed who were sapient before 1989, and the steadfast insistence in this country on confusing socialism and communism (when most of us don't know what either is), it's reasonable to ask if the country is "ready" intellectually and emotionally for "socialism."

Reasonable to ask, but I think the broad-based support Mr Sanders is receiving provides an answer. It is just not the issue that the pundits -- and the older politicians -- would make it. It's a bogey-man of diminishing force.

As to the OP's closing question, it's simple: most in this country don't know what socialism is to start with, and fear what they don't know. And there is a strong socialism=communism=EVIL equation in the simpler minds in this country... like the minds of at least half the people still hoping to run for President.

-- Mal

[Maedhros]

4. I remember some guy from back in Roman times that talked about giving all one had to the poor.

I wonder if that guy gets much attention these days?

[malthaussen]

6. You kidding?

If that guy were in the WH right now instead of Mr Obama, Congress would probably nail him to a tree or something, with the self-proclaimed "Christians" providing the hammer and nails.

-- Mal

[elleng]

7. What good is religion if it/they don't contemplate 'socialism?'

[CentralMass]

8. I thought Jesus was a socialist?

[Fairgo]

9. Yep, uncomfortable, that

[MisterP]

10. since it's 538, that means we're not: yay!