POLL: Record 89% of Americans Say Government Corruption Is Widespread

by Big League Politics

The number just hit a 20-year high — and one party saw a stunning 34-point swing.

Americans’ confidence in the federal government appears to be deteriorating rapidly, with a record 89 percent now saying corruption is widespread throughout the government, according to a new Gallup poll.

The figure represents the highest level recorded by Gallup in two decades of polling on the question.

The 89 percent finding is also a dramatic 10-point increase from last year and substantially higher than the levels recorded over the previous 15 years. Between 2010 and 2025, the percentage of Americans who considered government corruption widespread generally ranged from 72 percent to 79 percent.

But the partisan breakdown reveals an even more dramatic shift.

Democrats have become significantly more likely to believe the government is plagued by widespread corruption since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

During former President Joe Biden’s final year in office, just 57 percent of Democrats described government corruption as widespread.

That number jumped to 76 percent during the first year of Trump’s second term.

Now, an overwhelming 91 percent of Democrats say corruption is widespread in the U.S. government — a stunning 34-point increase from 2024.

Republicans, meanwhile, have consistently expressed high levels of concern about government corruption.