A majority of Canadians hold a positive view of socialism, according to a new Forum Research poll — in stark comparison to the United States, where most Americans have a negative opinion on the ideology.

In a poll of 1,733 Canadian voters, Forum says 58 per cent of respondents said they have a positive view of socialism, whereas four in 10 said they hold negative opinions about it. In contrast, according to a Pew Research study, 55 per cent of people in the United States have an unfavourable perspective.

Forum said those most likely to respond positively about socialism include people aged 18 to 44, women, the most educated, workers earning $40,000 to $80,000, and those living in the Atlantic Provinces. Those most likely to respond negatively include people aged 45 and older, men, the least educated, the lowest earners, people earning $80,000 to $100,000, and Alberta residents.

When it comes to political affiliation, NDP and Liberal Party supporters are more likely to have a favourable view of socialism, whereas Conservative Party supporters are more likely to have a negative one.

On the other side of the political spectrum, 58 per cent of Canadians polled also said they have a positive view of capitalism, with four in 10 saying they hold negative opinions about it. In the Pew Research study, 65 per cent of Americans said they have a positive view of capitalism, with 33 per cent saying they hold a negative opinion.

Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said that overall, Canadian voters hold a positive view of both socialism and capitalism, but see the former in a much better light than Americans do.

“Both Canadians and Americans alike see capitalism favourably,” he said. “While Canadian support for socialism and capitalism are divided along party lines, it is not nearly as drastic as shown in the United States.”

The topic of socialism versus capitalism has caught fire in the United States recently after several candidates for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, including former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper and former Maryland congressman John Delaney, criticized the ideology. That was seen as a swipe at another candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a “democratic socialist.”

The poll was conducted by Forum Research by an interactive voice response telephone survey of 1,733 randomly selected Canadians between July 26 and 28. The results are considered accurate within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.