Harris poll finds corruption second only to cost of living for voters

Voters twice as likely to call GOP the bigger corruption problem

Government corruption has emerged as a top issue in the U.S. midterm elections, with an overwhelming majority of Americans saying officials use their public office for personal financial gain, according to an exclusive Harris Poll conducted for the Guardian. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans said that government corruption — defined in the survey as elected officials putting their own or their donors’ financial interests ahead of the public’s — is a problem.

Three-quarters (76%) of voters said elected officials care more about enriching themselves than improving the economy for ordinary people. Voters were more likely to say that government corruption (65%) is more concerning than corporate power (29%), while just under 10% said neither concerns them.

The rising cost of living remains the issue expected to drive the election, with 36% of voters saying it is the single most important issue to how they plan to vote. Corruption was the next top issue in a field that also included immigration, housing costs, abortion, crime and safety, and AI.

The findings come as the economy experienced by everyday Americans diverges from the picture on Wall Street. The stock market has been soaring on the back of never-ending AI spending, and in early October both the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite hit record highs. As of Oct. 30, the S&P 500 stood at 7,743.98 and the Nasdaq Composite at 26,184.72, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED).

The gains have been a boon for a relatively small group of Americans. Americans in the top 1% of wealth own half of the stock market, while the bottom 50% own just over 1% of the market.

The results come after nearly two years of Donald Trump’s second term, in which the president has both figuratively and literally reshaped Washington. Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for a $400m ballroom — $335m of which he said is coming from private donors, including companies such as Apple and Nvidia. The federal government is down more than 420,000 workers after Elon Musk was given the power to introduce massive job cuts after donating nearly $300m to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Trump’s sons are running the family’s lucrative cryptocurrency business, which has made Trump $1bn since he returned to the White House, and Trump accepted a $400m private jet as a gift from the Qatari royal family.

Voters in the Harris Poll were twice as likely to say that Republicans have a bigger corruption problem than Democrats. Forty percent of voters, including 29% of Republicans, said the GOP has a bigger corruption problem. A third (32%) said both parties have the problem equally, while 21% said Democrats have the bigger problem.

Independents, whose votes will be key in swing races across the country, were much more likely to say Republicans have more of a corruption problem: 34% said Republicans have the bigger issue and 13% pointed to Democrats. Most independents (42%) said both parties share the problem equally.

Campaign cash has reached record levels this cycle. After the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United case removed limits on campaign contributions, each election year has brought in new records of cash; the midterms have already cost $11.2bn in ads, according to NBC News, the most ever for a midterm cycle. Just 40 donors have contributed $2.5bn to races this year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Last week, billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced he was contributing $80m in last-minute funding for Democratic candidates, while Trump said he is personally contributing a total of $400m to Republicans.

For everyday Americans, this flood of cash has changed the motivations of elected officials, who many believe will ultimately prioritize themselves and their donors over their constituents. A majority of voters (78%) in the Harris Poll agreed that “elected officials care more about enriching themselves than helping people like me.”

“Government corruption has shot up to become the second most important issue in the midterms after cost of living. Americans are triggered by leaders they now see as both responsible for and profiting off their growing economic hardship,” said John Gerzema, CEO of Harris Poll.

The Guardian reported that, regardless of who ends up controlling Congress after the midterms, voters across the political spectrum expect solutions to the ongoing affordability crisis.

Out of a slate of policies to address the cost of living, a third (32%) of voters said there should be limits on the influence of companies and lobbyists on government decisions. The second most popular policy was removing tariffs (29%), followed by limiting how much companies raise prices on goods (24%).

On Tuesday, voters in California will decide on a ballot measure that could place a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires in the state. Tech billionaires have been spending an estimated $1m a day — more than $340m altogether — to fight the measure. Half of voters in the new poll, including 56% of independents, said billionaires do not pay their fair share of taxes; just 28% of Republicans said the same.

Some in corporate America have voiced support for addressing the discontent. Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in an interview that he supports a national wealth tax, a comment that drew backlash from some Republicans. “We should have a national wealth tax – it won’t work by state because people will just move,” he said. “And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100% at some level. I would pay them.”

The Harris Poll conducted the survey online within the U.S. from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 2,065 U.S. adults, of whom 1,481 are likely to vote in the 2026 midterm elections.