Polls Show Record 89% of Americans See Widespread Corruption

Recent polling from Gallup and the University of Massachusetts Amherst indicates that a vast majority of Americans believe corruption is widespread within the federal government. A Gallup poll found that 89% of U.S. adults perceive government corruption as widespread, a 10-percentage-point increase from last year and the highest level in two decades. This sentiment spans party lines, with 91% of Democrats, 90% of independents, and 83% of Republicans in agreement. This puts the United States at the top of corruption perception rankings among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Donald Trump is a central figure in this distrust, with a UMass Amherst poll finding that 53% of respondents identify the president as the most corrupt government institution. Respondents expressed doubt that he would avoid using his office to benefit his family's business interests—including cryptocurrency ventures that earned approximately $1.4 billion—or avoid targeting political enemies. Other administration officials have faced similar scrutiny; Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick dismissed conflict-of-interest questions regarding a mining deal, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declined to pledge he would not work for defense contractors after leaving office.

Beyond the executive branch, public distrust is fueled by congressional stock trading and the use of prediction markets. The House Oversight Committee is currently probing government employees for insider trading on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. In one instance, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez approximately $172,000 for betting on events using advance access to presidential speeches.