Is Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders a socialist?

Although Bernie Sanders describes himself as a "democratic socialist" his current political positions would more accurately be described as "social democracy".

Socialism is an economic system based on the social ownership of the means of production, meaning the economic surplus generated by productive property accrues to society as opposed to a class of private owners. More fundamentally, in its comprehensive definition, socialism implies advocacy for a post-capitalist economic system that is characterized by a different set of economic dynamics than those of capitalism (the accumulation of capital and the profit system). This is what classic socialist thinkers like Eugene V. Debs and Karl Marx meant by socialism.

Contemporary social democracy, on the other hand, is not defined as an economic system but as a set of policies that aim to enhance equality of opportunity for all people to succeed within a capitalist market economy. This typically implies state interventionism to promote greater equity in the distribution of income, universal access to basic social welfare services, and collective bargaining arrangements that give workers a voice in shaping labor market policy. Social democracy is typically used to describe the social model of the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc.), which Bernie Sanders has cited as his definition of "democratic socialism".

Bernie Sanders does not question the legitimacy of the capitalist system (the accumulation of capital and the profit system) or the division between owners and workers (private ownership and the system of wage labor), nor do any of his policies aim to transcend or replace the capitalist system in favor of some form of social ownership of the economy. At most he can be described as a "social democrat" or "progressive populist" who believes that the real issues of modern society can be solved by reforming capitalism rather than by abolishing it.