The Other Red in Ohio: Support for Socialism among the Working-Class of Cleveland

• In Event: 40420 - Section on Political Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 22: Worker Resistance

Abstract

Socialism has long been demonized in the U.S. In recent years, though, socialist ideas have experienced renewed resurgence due to in no small part to the Occupy Wall Street movement and politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. While Marxists have long contended that working-class individuals would embrace socialist ideas, the American working class has turned towards the Republican Party as of late. This study involves data from 100 in-depth interviews with working-class residents of Cuyahoga County, which includes the major city of Cleveland. While some alleged that working-class individuals are largely conservative, this study finds that most respondents express openness and even strong support for socialism. Many participants referenced countries such as Canada and Sweden and stated that various socialist aspects of these societies were appealing to them, such as free or affordable healthcare services. Likewise, when participants were asked if there were any politicians who they found appealing in recent years, Bernie Sanders was the most cited politician. Since Bernie’s last attempt to run for the presidency in 2020, though, many participants voiced that they had become discouraged with political life. Some few individuals rejected socialism too, and some others said they were unaware of what it meant.

Author

• Timothy Gill, University of Tennessee-Knoxville