These days, it can feel like Americans across the political divide cannot agree on much of anything.
But there is encouraging news: When it comes to the economic foundations of human progress and flourishing, we are not as divided as we might think.
Political polarization has become a defining feature of American life. More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent. This divide extends to economics, where debates over capitalism versus socialism are often defined by what team you are on rather than honest thinking about how to improve living standards.
Of course, political parties have long differed along economic lines. However, that divide has grown in recent decades, largely driven by Democrats souring on capitalism and becoming more favorable toward socialism. According to Gallup, from 2010 to 2025, Republican views on capitalism and socialism remained fairly stable, with favorable views of capitalism hovering between 71% and 74% and favorable views of socialism staying mostly below 20%.
Democratic views shifted more notably. Favorable views of capitalism fell from 51% to 42%, while favorable views of socialism climbed from 50% to 66%. This and similar polls suggest that the majority of Democrats now prefer socialism over capitalism.
Look beneath the surface, though, and a different story emerges. A 2019 Gallup poll found that while only 60% of Americans had a positive attitude toward capitalism, 87% had a positive attitude toward free enterprise, and 90% had a positive attitude toward entrepreneurs. The building blocks of capitalism appear to enjoy broad support even if the label doesn’t.
Our team at the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab wanted to explore this further. If you describe the core mechanics of capitalism and socialism without using those loaded labels, which system do Americans actually believe will advance human progress and flourishing?
Continue reading at the Chicago Tribune.
Justin Callais, PhD, is Chief Economist at the Archbridge Institute. He leads the institute's "Social Mobility in the 50 States" project and conducts original research on economic development, upward mobility, and economic freedom. Dr. Callais received his Ph.D. in economics from Texas Tech University and his B.B.A. in economics from Loyola University New Orleans. He serves as an economic consultant at Callais Capital Management, and he is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. In addition, he publishes a regular newsletter on Substack titled "Debunking Degrowth."
Clay Routledge, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Archbridge Institute, where he also leads the institute’s Human Flourishing Lab. As a thought leader in existential psychology and human motivation, Clay translates research into practical insights that help people reach their full potential, build meaningful lives, and advance human progress and flourishing. Dr. Routledge received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. He writes the weekly newsletter "Flourishing Friday."
Economics of Flourishing
These days, it can feel like Americans across the political divide cannot agree on much of anything.
But there is encouraging news: When it comes to the economic foundations of human progress and flourishing, we are not as divided as we might think.
Political polarization has become a defining feature of American life. More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent. This divide extends to economics, where debates over capitalism versus socialism are often defined by what team you are on rather than honest thinking about how to improve living standards.
Of course, political parties have long differed along economic lines. However, that divide has grown in recent decades, largely driven by Democrats souring on capitalism and becoming more favorable toward socialism. According to Gallup, from 2010 to 2025, Republican views on capitalism and socialism remained fairly stable, with favorable views of capitalism hovering between 71% and 74% and favorable views of socialism staying mostly below 20%.
Democratic views shifted more notably. Favorable views of capitalism fell from 51% to 42%, while favorable views of socialism climbed from 50% to 66%. This and similar polls suggest that the majority of Democrats now prefer socialism over capitalism.
Look beneath the surface, though, and a different story emerges. A 2019 Gallup poll found that while only 60% of Americans had a positive attitude toward capitalism, 87% had a positive attitude toward free enterprise, and 90% had a positive attitude toward entrepreneurs. The building blocks of capitalism appear to enjoy broad support even if the label doesn’t.
Our team at the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab wanted to explore this further. If you describe the core mechanics of capitalism and socialism without using those loaded labels, which system do Americans actually believe will advance human progress and flourishing?
Continue reading at the Chicago Tribune.
Justin T. Callais
Justin Callais, PhD, is Chief Economist at the Archbridge Institute. He leads the institute's "Social Mobility in the 50 States" project and conducts original research on economic development, upward mobility, and economic freedom. Dr. Callais received his Ph.D. in economics from Texas Tech University and his B.B.A. in economics from Loyola University New Orleans. He serves as an economic consultant at Callais Capital Management, and he is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. In addition, he publishes a regular newsletter on Substack titled "Debunking Degrowth."
Clay Routledge
Clay Routledge, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Archbridge Institute, where he also leads the institute’s Human Flourishing Lab. As a thought leader in existential psychology and human motivation, Clay translates research into practical insights that help people reach their full potential, build meaningful lives, and advance human progress and flourishing. Dr. Routledge received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. He writes the weekly newsletter "Flourishing Friday."
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