On Tuesday, a judge in New York found that Donald Trump committed fraud by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth. YouGov polling conducted Wednesday — in the wake of this ruling — finds that by 47% to 22%, Americans believe Trump "fraudulently inflated the value of his properties to obtain favorable loans and tax benefits." Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Democrats, 42% of Independents, and 22% of Republicans believe Trump has done so.
Opinions among Americans overall on whether Trump committed fraud have changed little since the question was last asked on the Economist/YouGov poll one year ago, though the share of Republicans who say he is guilty of doing so has increased by 5 percentage points. (Wednesday's poll is among U.S. adults while the previous poll was among U.S. adult citizens.)
Most Americans think actions such as Trump's are not rare. A total of 63%, including majorities in each party, believe it is very or somewhat common for real‑estate valuations to be fraudulently inflated in the U.S. in general.
Americans are divided on whether Trump's businesses have done more to benefit (30%) or harm (34%) New York State; 10% say they've had no impact and 27% aren't sure. Most Democrats (57%) but just 12% of Republicans say the Trump Organization has done more harm than good; only 14% of Democrats but 58% of Republicans say the opposite.
— Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results of this poll:
- How common do you think it is in the U.S. for real‑estate valuations to be fraudulently inflated?
- Do you believe former President Trump fraudulently inflated the value of his properties to obtain favorable loans and tax benefits, or not?
- Do you think the Trump Organization’s business and property development in New York has done more to benefit or harm New York State, or has it had no impact?
Methodology: This Daily Questions survey was conducted online on September 27, 2023 among 3,210 U.S. adults. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party.
Image: Getty (Joe Raedle)
