Poll: U.S. belief that government is corrupt hits 20-year-high

Americans' perception of government corruption is at a 20-year high, according to a new Gallup poll. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Americans' belief in the corruption of government is at a 20-year high, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. The poll showed 89% of people in the United States believe government corruption is widespread, which is up 10 percentage points from last year and above the readings between 2010 and 2025, which were 72% to 79%. The biggest change was among Democrats, of whom 91% believe the government is corrupt. During President Joe Biden's last year in office, 57% of Democrats believed in widespread corruption. In 2025, that figure jumped to 76%. Of Republicans, 83% believe the government is corrupt, and that number has risen 12 points since last year. Independents are at 90% belief in corruption, the poll showed. Who is in control of the government weighs heavily on the perception, Gallup said. Democrats' perceptions appear closely linked to which party controls the administration, while Republicans have more consistency about their beliefs in corruption. Gallup compared the American perception with the 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Polling showed the perceived level of corruption among those countries dropped from 69% in 2009 to below 60% since 2022. In 2025, the median among OECD countries was 59%. The OECD mostly includes North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Chile and Turkey. The United States topped the list of countries for perceived corruption for the first time. Only four countries out of the 132 that Gallup has asked this question of since 2023 annually have scored above the 89% recorded in the U.S. this year: Lebanon in 2024 (92%), Peru in 2025 (92%), and Ghana and Nigeria in 2024 (both 90%). Americans' perceptions of corruption in business have also risen this year by eight points to 71%. That is 18 points lower than perceptions of corruption in government. Few countries have seen larger gaps than the current U.S. gap in relative perceptions of government versus business corruption. President of the New York Stock Exchange Lynn Martin speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the economy at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Read More U.S. Mint starts selling gold-colored coins with Trump's face Patagonia sues Trump administration over Bears Ears National Monument Doctors release vaccine recommendations for RSV, influenza, COVID-19