Young people see socialism as a way to help the working class and aren’t afraid of it, a group of students said in a discussion aired Sunday on“UpFront.”

The program brought together a small group of college students who call themselves democratic socialists. “UpFront” is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.

“Socialism as an idea is not something that our generation is really scared of,” said Eric Rorholm, a junior at Marquette University and the leader of the Marquette College Democrats.

“Do you think a lot of your friends say that they are socialists?” asked “UpFront” host Adrienne Pedersen.

“A hundred percent,” Rorholm said.

Polls show millennials and younger people are increasingly embracing socialism. A recent poll from NPR and Marist showed that 38 percent of people ages 18-38 had favorable views of socialism, the highest of any age group surveyed in the poll.

“Most people I talk to when it comes to health care, universal health care, they are all for it, because it’s hard-working people who just don’t have the benefits that should be a right. It should be a right,” said Johanna Lee, another student who says she is a democratic socialist.

The students also discussed wages, higher education, climate change and answered some of the criticisms of socialism.

See more from the program:
http://www.wisn.com/upfront

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