I thought it's more of a dirty word over in the USA, and in Western + Northern Europe we're generally fine with it. The UK's head of the opposition (Jeremy Corbyn) is a self-described socialist and massively ate into the majority the Conservative party had in the last election. Germany, France and the nordic countries are pretty ok with the word and I know Portugal is the same too. These are just the ones I can speak of, the remainder I'd presume to be not too different.

It's more of an issue in former warsaw pact countries who overthrew a "socialist" government in the late 80s however. I know among my group of friends I'd get eye-rolls and chuckles if I described myself as a socialist