The rise of white-collar socialists: ‘A lot of tech workers are working class’

How Americans define who is working class may have more to do with economic anxiety than income or education levels. A recently surfaced survey of Democratic Socialists of America members showed that 13% were white-collar workers, down from 21% in 2017 but up from just 3% in 2013. In addition, 9% worked in the tech sector in 2021, though comparable figures weren’t available for prior years.

That’s more than blue-collar workers, who made up just 4% of members in 2021 versus 3% in 2017 and 2% in 2013. Other categories similarly saw narrow gains or were virtually flat. Retail, food and other service sector workers accounted for 6% of members in 2021, up from 2% in 2013.

Among respondents 25 years old or older, more than 80% had bachelor’s degrees. And while 45% of respondents had household incomes below $60,000, 28% earned $100,000 or more. Of course, the numbers may be less of a reflection of working-class Americans overall and more descriptive of the DSA specifically But Zohran Mamdani’s stunning win in New York City’s mayoral race last year and democratic socialists’ election gains this year have shown that they are gaining political support.

By contrast, polling indicates that skepticism of capitalism is up. A Wall Street Journal survey found 51% said capitalism wasn’t working well or not working at all, up from 37% in 2015. There’s been plenty of fodder for anti-capitalists in recent years.

During the Great Recession, millions of American lost their jobs and homes, while the big banks that sparked the financial crisis got bailed out. Today, soaring tech valuations have created more billionaires and even the world’s first trillionaire. At the same time, the high cost of living has eroded wage gains.

The DSA survey also notably predated the current AI boom, which started in late 2022. Since then, tech companies have announced waves of layoffs, and entry-level jobs have dried up. To be sure, not all the cuts can be attributed to AI as some executives may be using it