WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to a Gallup poll, 89% of U.S. adults believe that government corruption is widespread, marking the highest level of concern in 20 years. This figure represents a 10 percentage point increase from the previous year and is significantly higher than the 72% to 79% range recorded between 2010 and 2025.
The increase in perceptions of corruption is most pronounced among Democrats, with 57% stating that corruption was widespread in 2024, rising to 76% in 2025, and reaching 91% in 2026. In comparison, political independents also show high concern at 90%, while Republicans’ views have remained relatively stable, with 83% indicating widespread corruption.
The differing perceptions between Democrats and Republicans suggest that Democrats' views are influenced by the party in power, while Republicans maintain a consistent perspective on government corruption regardless of political control.
The U.S. has diverged from other advanced economies in perceptions of government corruption, with the median level among OECD countries falling from 69% in 2009 to below 60% since 2022. In 2025, the median perception of corruption among OECD countries was 59%, while the U.S. perception increased to 79%, creating a 20-point gap.
Historically, only four countries have reported higher levels of perceived government corruption than the U.S. in recent years: Lebanon (92% in 2024), Peru (92% in 2025), and Ghana and Nigeria (90% in 2024).
Gallup also found that perceptions of business corruption in the U.S. increased by eight points to 71%, which is 18 points lower than the perception of government corruption, indicating the largest gap recorded in this trend.
The findings suggest that perceptions of government corruption are at a record high in the U.S. and exceed those in most other countries, including advanced economies. Despite political polarization, there is a shared concern about government corruption among both major political parties, contributing to the record-high perception levels.
The survey results are based on telephone interviews conducted from May 1 to June 10, 2026, with a random sample of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 15 and older. The margin of sampling error for the overall sample is ±4.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.