We’re lucky to be living in a time when the word “socialism” is not anathema in the United States, the beating heart of global capitalism. A new poll by the Pew Research Center reveals that 42 percent of Americans have a positive view of socialism. Those who have a negative view still constitute a majority, but a slim one: 55 percent.

Other surveys have turned up similar results in the last few years, ever since Bernie Sanders first ran for president as a democratic socialist and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won office calling herself the same. This poll is particularly interesting, though, because respondents were also asked to identify reasons they liked or didn’t like socialism. Of the 55 percent of respondents who had a negative view of socialism, the top reason they gave was that it “undermines work ethic.” This invites a discussion about the nature of work today, and what it could become.

Work ethic is a value that Americans have always held close to their hearts — a mixture, as many have pointed out, of both early Protestant and capitalist ideologies. There are exceptions, of course, but many Americans believe that there’s something inherently virtuous about working like a dog; and we do. At least 134 countries have laws establishing the maximum length of the work week, but the United States doesn’t. And, unlike many other countries, US workers aren’t federally entitled to paid holidays, vacation days, sick leave, or parental leave. As a result, “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers.”