Three Out of Four Americans Say There Is a Lot of Corruption in the Federal Government

A new poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that almost all Americans believe there is corruption in the federal government. Ninety-seven percent of people surveyed said there is at least some corruption in Washington, D.C. Even more striking, 75 percent said there is a "great deal" of it. The poll surveyed 1,000 adults across the country from August 21 to 26.

The poll showed that large numbers of Democrats, independents, and Republicans all see corruption as a big issue. About 81 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of independents, and 69 percent of Republicans said corruption in the government is significant. Tatishe Nteta, a political science professor at UMass Amherst, said this level of agreement is unusual because Americans are usually deeply divided on most issues. "They speak with one voice on this question, overwhelmingly agreeing that corruption exists in Washington," he said.

Even though most Americans agree corruption exists, they strongly disagree about which part of the government is most corrupt. About 53 percent of all respondents said the presidency is the most corrupt institution. However, 87 percent of Democrats ranked the presidency first, compared to only 18 percent of Republicans. Republicans were more likely to point to the federal bureaucracy or Congress as the most corrupt.

The poll also looked at what types of behavior people consider corrupt. Most Americans agreed that trading political favors for campaign donations, using public office for personal financial gain, and changing election rules to help one party win are all wrong. More than 80 percent said that if an elected official trades votes for campaign donations, that person should face an investigation. Researchers found that 87 percent of both Democrats and Republicans agreed on this point.

One key part of the poll was an experiment about how party loyalty shapes people's views. Researchers described a president ordering agencies to investigate politicians from the other party, and randomly told some people the president was a Democrat and others that the president was a Republican. Among Republicans, 64 percent called it very corrupt when a Democrat did it, but only 22 percent said the same when a Republican did it. Democrats also showed a double standard, though a smaller one.

The poll found that many Americans do not trust President Trump to keep his business interests separate from his duties as president. Two out of three respondents said they do not trust Trump to avoid using the presidency to help his family's businesses. About 77 percent said Trump should not profit from business deals, including cryptocurrency, while serving as president. Most people also opposed putting his name or image on federal buildings or the Kennedy Center.

Finally, the poll found widespread unhappiness about the country's direction and the economy. About 69 percent said the country is on the wrong track, up 15 percentage points from April 2025. Eight out of ten people described the national economy as fair or poor. More than half of respondents blamed Trump for recent increases in the prices of groceries, gas, and utilities.