Community | April 09, 2011 | 12 comments

Capitalism's waning popularity: Market of ideas A global poll shows an ideology in apparent decline

Image
Milieu
RISING debt and lost output are the common measures of the cost of the financial crisis. But a new global opinion poll shows another, perhaps more serious form of damage: falling public support for capitalism. This is most marked in the country that used to epitomise free enterprise. In 2002, 80% of Americans agreed that the world’s best bet was the free-market system. By 2010 that support had fallen to 59%, only a little above the 54% average for the 25 countries polled. Nominally Communist China is now one of the world’s strongest supporters of capitalism, at 68%, up from 66% in 2002. Brazil scores 68% too. Germany squeaks into top place with 69%.

France, one of the world’s strongest economies, continues as an anti-capitalist outlier. Only 6% of French “strongly” support the free market, down from an already puny 8% in 2002. Add those who “somewhat agree” with capitalism’s superiority and the figure is 30%, down from 42% in 2002. Turkey (another free-market success story) had the same level of support then, but it has dropped even lower, to a mere 27%. In Europe only Spain seems to buck the trend, rising from 37% in 2002 to 51% . Indians, on paper big winners from free-market reforms, appear unimpressed: support has dropped to 58% from 73%.

Capitalism’s waning fortunes are starkly visible among Americans earning below $20,000. Their support for the free market has dropped from 76% to 44% in just one year. The research was conducted by GlobeScan, a polling firm. Its chairman Doug Miller says American business is “close to losing its social contract” with average families.
  1. groups:
    Community,   Opinion,   Greatest Depression,   Business News & Analysis,   1 more
  2. tags:
    Capitalism,  Free Market,  Opinion Poll
  3.     
    |

12 comments // Capitalism's waning popularity: Market of ideas A global poll shows an ideology in apparent decline

  • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
    • +2
      COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM  

    • This country has never experience complete capitalism or free market. It has always been a hybrid which was intended to best serve the country as a whole. The problem is that the safeguards against the corrupting influences of greed have been eroded, which has enabled greed to erode the health and wealth of the country and 99% of the people of it.

      Without complete campaign finance reform and ending corporate personhood, we'll never turn it around.

    • 1 year ago
  • bundlebear
  • letsliveinpeace
    • +1
      letsliveinpeace  

    • http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xemen5

      Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).

      But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film goers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent.

      Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere.

      What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal… and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story is both a culmination of Moore’s previous works and a look into what a more hopeful future could look like. It is Michael Moore’s ultimate quest to answer the question he’s posed throughout his illustrious filmmaking career: Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?
      tvxs.gr | Καπιταλισμός: μια ιστορία αγάπης by tvxorissinora

    • 1 year ago
  • Milieu
  • Schnookums
    • +2
      Schnookums  

    • Everybody likes capitalism as we're inflating on the way up, not so much as we deflate on the way down. It's like a drug that way. Party, party, party, crash. The moral of the story; all good things can be abused and enjoy in moderation.

    • 1 year ago
  • Milieu
    • +2
      Milieu  
    • Schnookums:

      While I have serious reservations about Capitalism, it's like any other Greed based system. As long as it's regulated within a inch of it's life, things are OK.

      But even the Great Ayn Randite, Alan Greespan admitted, Free Market Capitalism will destroy this country.

    • 1 year ago
  • letsliveinpeace
  • Milieu
  • letsliveinpeace
  • Milieu
    • +2
      Milieu  

    • The thing I find interesting is that the two countries where "Debt Reduction" is the main focus of their governments, U.S. and UK, the people see that the Oligarchs are getting taken care of to the detriment of the People.

    • 1 year ago
  • Milieu
    • +2
      Milieu  

    • So, there is rising hope the Republic Syndicate and their Overlords are losing the people in their attempt to send the U.S. back to Feudalism.

    • 1 year ago
  • The_Wanderer_KS
    • +4
      The_Wanderer_KS  
    • Milieu:

      Your statement is true as far as I can see aside from 2 limitive statements. There's more involvement then just our replublicans, and thier target is the global market.

      --edit-- This is however encouraging news.

    • 1 year ago
more from Community:
from the community

top videos