Democratic Socialists of America members are disproportionately college educated, urban and employed in professional or public-service fields, while many report household incomes below levels typically associated with their educational attainment.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Democratic Socialists of America draws much of its support from a distinctive political and economic constituency: highly educated voters who often live in cities, work in professional or public-sector occupations and earn less than many other Americans with comparable academic credentials.
A 2021 membership survey published by DSA North Star found that 80% of members age 25 and older held bachelor’s degrees. Thirty-five percent had completed graduate degrees.
2021 Member Survey Gdc Report by yourNEWS Media
Despite those education levels, 45% of surveyed members reported annual household incomes below $60,000.
That combination differs sharply from the broader population. Only 19% of Americans with bachelor’s degrees live in households earning less than $60,000 annually. Data from a Cooperative Election Study also found that voters with graduate degrees and incomes between $30,000 and $60,000 were the educational and income group most likely to describe themselves as “very liberal.”
According to a Daily Caller News Foundation report, The DSA survey showed that members were concentrated in occupations associated with education, government, nonprofit organizations and professional services.
Teachers, social workers and employees of nonprofit and public-sector organizations were among the most commonly reported professions. About one-third of respondents identified as teachers, scholars, academics, private-sector white-collar employees or technology workers.
Fifteen percent said they were unemployed, disabled or retired. Blue-collar workers made up 4% of respondents.
The organization’s membership was also heavily urban. Fifty-seven percent lived in cities, while 8% resided in rural communities.
An analysis published by the Silver Bulletin said DSA supporters were more likely to express dissatisfaction with their own financial circumstances and with the country’s direction. They also tended to hold culturally liberal views and support candidates campaigning on policies such as assistance for Gaza and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Educational fields may also influence political development. Researchers Michael Vazquez and Michael Prinzing found that students studying English or the arts tend to move left politically, while students in business and engineering are more likely to shift right, according to an analysis of the diploma divide and their underlying research.
That educational divide was visible in the 2024 presidential election. Fifty-five percent of voters with college degrees supported former Vice President Kamala Harris, while 56% of voters without degrees backed President Donald Trump.
The DSA is positioned to elect the largest congressional delegation in its history after several affiliated candidates defeated establishment Democrats in primary contests. Young, college-educated voters in densely populated urban areas have emerged as a central base for candidates associated with the socialist left.
Democratic New York candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, New York Assemblywoman and DSA member Claire Valdez and several other candidates won substantial support among younger and college-educated voters.
In Colorado, DSA candidate Melat Kiros defeated Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in June, ending the incumbent’s 29-year congressional career.
Additional contests could test the Democratic establishment during Michigan’s Tuesday primaries.
Former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed is competing against Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination. El-Sayed has supported the DSA and campaigned on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE and allowing so-called “gender-affirming care.”
Stevens has presented herself as the more moderate candidate. She supports reforming ICE rather than eliminating it, favors a public health insurance option instead of Medicare for All and has expressed strong support for Israel.
El-Sayed held a 15-point lead over Stevens as of Thursday, according to an Emerson College Polling/WLNS/WOODTV survey.
The demographic profile reflected in the DSA survey helps explain the organization’s recent electoral gains. Its strongest base combines advanced education, urban residence, culturally progressive views and economic frustration among voters whose income often trails what might ordinarily be expected from their academic credentials.
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