Millennials think socialism would create a great safe space, study finds

Nov. 7, 1973: A military parade on Red Square held in celebration of the 56th anniversary of Russia's 1917 socialist revolution. (Lev Polikashin/Sputnik via AP)

Nearly half of all U.S. millennials believe the greatest safe space of them all would be living under a socialist regime.

That’s according to a new study from research firm YouGov and Washington, D.C.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which surveyed over 2,000 people regarding their views on socialism and the communist political system. The biggest takeaway from the study was that one out of every two millennials surveyed said they would rather live in a socialist or communist country over a capitalist democracy like the U.S.

“Millennials now make up the largest generation in America, and we're seeing some deeply worrisome trends," Marion Smith, executive director of the foundation said in a statement to Fox News. "Millennials are increasingly turning away from capitalism and toward socialism and even communism as a viable alternative.”

Nearly 45 percent of millennials polled said that they would prefer to live in a socialist country compared to the 42 percent who said they preferred a capitalist one. Another 7 percent said that the preferred living in a communist country above all. The findings show that the percentage of millennials who prefer socialism over capitalism if a full 10 points higher than that of the general population.

Venezuela, which has a socialist government, has been on the verge of collapse for the past year. People often stuggle to find food and other staple goods as seen in this photo taken at a Cracas supermarket in July 2017. (REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino)

By comparison, over half of baby boomers polled favor capitalism, compared to 26 percent who support a socialist system.

The report also found that one in five Americans in their 20s consider former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin a hero, despite his genocide of Ukrainians and Orthodox priests. Over a quarter of millennials polled also thought the same for Vladimir Lenin and Kim Jong Un.

One of the most troubling findings of the report is that over 40 percent of Americans believe that there should be restrictions placed on the First Amendment and free speech to ensure that anything being said is not “offensive.”

The survey also uncovered that a basic working knowledge of communism among all Americans is lacking.

Seven out of 10 Americans do not know the definition of communism as it is most often confused with socialism. The same amount also underestimates the number of people who have been killed by communist regimes.

"This troubling turn highlights widespread historical illiteracy in American society regarding socialism and the systemic failure of our education system to teach students about the genocide, destruction, and misery caused by communism since the Bolshevik Revolution one hundred years ago,” Smith said.