A new report from the Center for Working-Class Politics (CWCP), published in Jacobin magazine, analyzed working-class responses to 128 survey questions from 1960 to the present. The research refutes common Democratic Party strategies for winning back working-class voters, including the assumptions that these voters are unwinnable, or that mimicking Trump or pushing further progressive policies will work. The study reveals that working-class voters are less progressive on social and cultural issues than their middle- and upper-class counterparts but are economically egalitarian, favoring policies like raising the minimum wage and expanding social security.

The report finds that while working-class voters hold more moderate social views than the Democratic Party base, they strongly support worker-focused economic policies. Crucially, it identifies approximately 11% of Trump voters (about 5% of the total electorate) holding socially moderate and economically egalitarian views. Winning even a portion of these voters, many concentrated in swing states, could significantly impact national elections.

The CWCP concludes that a social populist approach—embracing working-class social attitudes and a worker-focused economic platform—offers the most viable path for Democrats to regain a working-class majority.

Impact Statement: The findings suggest a significant shift in Democratic strategy is needed to appeal to working-class voters and secure future electoral victories.