A record-high 89% of U.S. adults say corruption is widespread in government, up 10 percentage points from last year and the highest level in 20 years, according to Gallup. Democrats' perceptions rose sharply, from 57% under former President Joe Biden to 76% in 2025 and 91% this year under President Donald Trump. Independents stand at 90%, while Republicans remain at 83%, largely unchanged since 2024.

Gallup attributes Democrats' shift to party control of the administration, while Republicans' consistency suggests a deeper, party-independent view of corruption. The U.S. now ranks atop the OECD, where the median perceived corruption fell from 69% in 2009 to 59% in 2025. Only Lebanon, Peru, Ghana, and Nigeria have recorded higher figures globally.

Perceptions of government corruption also far exceed views of business corruption in the U.S., a 18-point gap that is the largest seen in Gallup's trend.