Demographics of NYC Democratic Socialists Revealed

A recent internal survey indicates that a considerable portion of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) identifies as white. This is intriguing, especially since the group positions itself as a proponent of diversity and inclusion.

The demographic research conducted within this chapter, which boasts members like Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reports that 60% of its members are white. This statistic suggests that socialist organizations in New York City are less racially diverse than the city’s overall population and even less diverse than the Democratic Party itself.

According to findings from the Pew Research Center, the Democratic Party comprises about 56% white individuals, while the broader New York City population—characterized as one of the most diverse urban areas globally—has only 34% identifying as white, based on the latest U.S. Census data.

The NYC-DSA survey, a notable piece of research since a 2021 national member survey revealed that 85% identified as white, was shared recently by the organization and reflects a significant insight.

Since 2021, the Democratic Socialists of America and the NYC-DSA have seen their membership climb to over 120,000 nationwide and more than 15,600 in New York City alone. Interestingly, 63% of NYC-DSA members participated in the survey about their racial identities.

The nonwhite members included 12% identifying as Jewish, 14% as Hispanic, 9% as Black, 10% as Asian, 5% as South Asian, 4% as Middle Eastern, and 2% as Native American. Less than 1% labeled themselves as Pacific Islander.

It seems there may be a shift occurring, as 57% of the new members who joined NYC-DSA this year are white, which indicates a potential gradual shift towards greater diversity as the national chapters also report 67% of their new members identifying similarly.