(MENAFN) A recent survey indicates that a growing number of US college students favor socialist economic systems, such as those historically implemented in Cuba and the former Soviet Union, over capitalism. The nationwide poll, conducted online for Yale University’s William F. Buckley Institute, surveyed 820 undergraduates at four-year colleges earlier this month.

Results showed that 46% of students agreed that socialism offered a better model than capitalism, while 39% disagreed. However, when asked about personal preference for living under a system, 40% chose capitalism compared to 36% for socialism.

The survey also suggested rising intolerance for opposing viewpoints on campuses. About 40% of respondents said physical violence could be justified to stop hate speech, and 48% supported shouting down or disrupting campus speakers. Lauren Noble, founder of the Buckley Institute, warned that “It is alarming that a record percentage of undergraduates support shouting down opinions they don’t like,” adding that the willingness to justify violence is “a disturbing reality coming just weeks after Charlie Kirk’s assassination” and that “American higher education is in trouble.”

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at a Utah university. Authorities charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with the murder, noting his left-leaning and pro-LGBTQ views.

Additional data from Gallup revealed that only 54% of Americans currently view capitalism positively, the lowest level since the early 2010s. The survey also highlighted political divisions in tolerance: 64% of liberal students said they could not be friends with someone from a different political party, compared with 35% of moderates and 25% of conservatives. Liberals were also more likely to support disrupting speeches, with 60% in favor compared to 38% of moderates and 35% of conservatives.

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