A recent Cato Institute survey has found that four in ten Americans aged 18 to 29 — 38% — hold a favorable view of communism. The same survey shows almost a third of 30-to-44-year-olds feel the same way. The numbers come from a writer who was born in a communist country and says the statistic "sent chills down my spine."
The writer describes being transported back to the economic ruin of 1980s communist Bulgaria — stripped supermarket shelves of grey, repressive life, power outages, and the hyperinflation that followed in the 1990s across post-communist Soviet bloc countries.
What the Cato Institute Survey Found About Gen Z and Communism
The survey data shows a clear age divide in how Americans view communism. According to the writer's account of the Cato Institute Survey, the appeal of communism among Gen Z is twice as high as among 45-to-54-year-olds, and three times as high as among those aged 55 to 64.
This means the youngest group of American adults is far more open to an ideology that older generations — many of whom lived through the Cold War — reject at much higher rates.
- 38% of 18-to-29-year-olds are favorable towards communism
- Almost a third of 30-to-44-year-olds share that view
- Gen Z's favorable rate is 2x that of 45-54 year olds
- Gen Z's favorable rate is 3x that of 55-64 year olds
Why This Writer Says Communism Means Ruin, Not Equality
The writer, who fled a communist country, paints a personal picture of what the system actually delivered. To them, communism means being "forever stuck in mediocrity, silence, and a fawning existence marked by hollow propaganda heralding non-existent equality."
"To me, communism means being forever stuck in mediocrity, silence, and a fawning existence marked by hollow propaganda heralding non-existent equality." — Original story
The writer's memories include stripped supermarket shelves, power outages, and hyperinflation — not the equality that propaganda promised. These are firsthand experiences, not secondhand accounts.
Our Take: Gen Z Should Talk to Those Who Lived Under Communism
In our view, this survey is a warning sign that should not be dismissed. When 38% of young adults say they view communism favorably, it suggests a serious gap in historical understanding. Gen Z did not live through the Cold War. They did not stand in bread lines or watch their currency become worthless overnight. Their view of communism is likely shaped by theory and internet discourse — not lived reality.
To put it plainly: communism sounds fair in a classroom or a social media post. It looks very different when it is the system you actually live under. The writer's memories of grey shelves, blackouts, and hyperinflation are not abstract political points — they are what the ideology produced for ordinary people.
What should readers take from this? If you are young and curious about communism, talk to someone who escaped it. Ask them what daily life was like. Ask them what happened to their savings, their jobs, their freedom to speak. The Cato Institute survey shows a trend. The writer's story shows the cost. Both deserve attention — but only one comes from experience.
The gap between Gen Z's favorable views and the views of those aged 55 to 64 is not just a number. It is a gap between theory and memory. Closing that gap starts with listening to people who lived it.
