A majority of millennials are more receptive to Karl Marx than they are to the Bible when it comes to what both have to say about work ethic, according to a new poll.
According to the first annual report released on October 31 by YouGov and Victims of Communism (COV) Memorial Foundation that looks at Americans' attitudes toward socialism, two-thirds (64 percent) of millennials agree with Marx's statement, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his need," while half (53 percent) agree with the Bible when it says, "If any would not work, neither should he eat."
An even larger share of millennials (71 percent) agree with Bernie Sander's statement, "A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little."
The report reveals that millennials have more favorable views of socialist and Marxist philosophies with nearly half (46 percent) of millennials saying that they would vote for a presidential candidate who described him or herself as a socialist.
"The study found a growing acceptance of Socialist and Marxist viewpoints among a younger generation of Americans who did not grow up during the Cold War," the report says.
Furthermore, millennials are more likely to view communism favorably than are older generations with 80 percent of Baby Boomers and 91 percent of "matures" say that communism "was and still is a problem today" while only half (55 percent) of Millennials affirm that statement, according to the report.
However, many millennials are not acquainted with prominent Communist leaders. Over four-in-ten (42 percent) millennials are not familiar with Mao Zedong and Che Guevara (40 percent). Gen Z and Millennials are more likely than the older generation to underestimate the number of deaths due to communism.
"One of the concerns that the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation has had since its establishment is that an an emerging generation of Americans have little understanding of the collectivist system and its dark history," said executive director of VOC Marion Smith said, in a statement.
"This report clearly reveals a need for educating our youth on the dangerous implications of socialist ideals," she continues.
