Whopping 9 in 10 Americans Believe There’s ‘Widespread Corruption’ Within US Government: Gallup Poll

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Nearly 90% of Americans now believe there’s “widespread corruption” within the U.S. government, according to a recent poll.

The data came from a Gallup poll published Wednesday. For the survey, respondents were asked, “Is corruption widespread throughout the government in this country, or not?” According to Gallup, 89% of participants responded to the question with “Yes.”

That number, Gallup noted, was the highest it’s been in two decades. Additionally, the figure sat at 73% just two years earlier. That 16-point jump is the highest of any two-year span in the last 20 years.

That sentiment was shared among three major voting blocks, with 91% of Democrats, 90% of Independents, and a staggering 83% of Republicans believing in widespread corruption. Interestingly, Democrats saw a 15-point jump from the previous year. Republicans, on the other hand, had just a two-point increase, as 81% believed the government was corrupt in 2025.

With 2026’s high mark, President Donald Trump had three of the highest years on record when it comes to Americans’ perceptions of government corruption. Last year, 79% of Americans believed in widespread corruption. In 2018 — Trump’s first term — that number sat at 78%.

The only year to match any of those was 2013, when 79% of Americans believed the government was corrupt under former President Barack Obama.

In terms of government mistrust, the U.S. significantly outpaces other member countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Gallup report added:

The U.S. has increasingly diverged from other advanced economies in perceptions of government corruption, based on Gallup polling across the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The median level of perceived corruption among OECD countries has fallen from 69% in 2009 to below 60% since 2022.

Full data collection for 2026 is not yet complete in all countries, so the closest comparison across the OECD is from 2025, when a median of 59% said corruption is widespread in their government.

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