Majority of Americans say corruption influences decisions of the federal government | Ipsos

Search

Submit

Ipsos

Insights Hub

Majority of Americans say corruption influences decisions of the federal government

Polling

Politics

Majority of Americans say corruption influences decisions of the federal government

Findings of a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 14-17

08.17.26

Share

Washington, D.C., August 19, 2026 – Three in four Americans say that corruption influences the decisions made by the federal government a great deal or quite a bit, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 14-17.<br>Views of the influence corruption plays in the federal government span political identification: large shares of Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike say corruption plays at least some role in the federal government’s decision-making. In addition, majorities say examples of corruption in politics and government make them angry.<br>The poll finds that a narrow majority of Americans (51%) say they think the level of corruption under the Trump administration is worse than under other recent presidential administrations (22% say levels of corruption are better, while 24% say they are about the same). Americans are slightly more likely to describe the Republican Party as “more corrupt” than the Democratic Party (49% vs. 41%).<br>The poll also explores views of President Donald Trump’s presidency and attitudes towards the war in Iran. Overall, 33% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, compared to 64% that disapprove. Meanwhile, four-in-five say they think U.S. military involvement in Iran will go on for an extended period of time and most say they disapprove of U.S. military strikes on the country.<br>Washington, D.C., August 17, 2026 – A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 14-17 explores views of President Donald Trump’s job performance, attitudes toward key issues in the 2026 midterm elections, and how Americans evaluate the Democratic and Republican parties on the issues.<br>About the Study<br>This Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted August 14-17, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,166 general population adults aged 18 or older.<br>The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, 2024 vote choice and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2026 NPORS annual survey. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).<br>Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)<br>Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)<br>Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metro status (Metro, non-Metro)<br>Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)<br>Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)<br>2024 Presidential Vote Choice (Harris, Trump, Another Candidate, Did not vote)<br>Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)<br>The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.04. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.<br>For more information on this news release, please contact:<br>Alec Tyson<br>Senior Vice President, US<br>Public Affairs<br>[email protected]<br>About Ipsos<br>Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.<br>Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.<br>“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.<br>Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is...