Most Americans say wealth inequality in the U.S. is a very big problem (52%) or a somewhat big problem (28%), including most Democrats and a smaller majority of Republicans. Majorities of Americans say the federal government should try to reduce wealth inequality, and that billionaires should be taxed more.
What you need to know about Americans' views on wealth inequality, as of the January 2 - 5, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- Half of Americans (52%) say the gap between rich and poor is a very big problem, while 28% say it's a somewhat big problem, 14% that it's a minor problem, and 6% that it's not a problem
- Democrats and liberals are more likely to say wealth inequality is a very big problem than are Republicans and conservatives, but majorities of Republicans, self-described MAGA Republicans, and those who say they are "very conservative" all say the gap between rich and poor is at least a somewhat big problem
- 59% of Americans say the federal government should pursue policies that try to reduce the gap in wealth between the richest and poorest Americans, while 21% say it should not
- Belief that the federal government should try to reduce wealth inequality is shared by most Democrats (83% say it should and 7% say it shouldn't) and a majority of Independents (57% vs. 16%), while Republicans are evenly divided between those who say the government should and should not try to reduce wealth inequality (38% vs. 40%)
- MAGA Republicans and very conservative Americans are more likely than non-MAGA Republicans and those who say they are conservative but not very conservative to say the government should not try to reduce inequality
- 62% of Americans say the amount billionaires are taxed is either much too low (46%) or somewhat too low (16%); 16% of Americans say billionaires are taxed about right and 7% say billionaire's taxes are either much too high (3%) or somewhat too high (4%)
- Democrats overwhelmingly say billionaires' taxes are too low (85%), as do a substantial minority of Republicans (39%)
- More Republicans say billionaires' taxes are too low than say they're about right (32%) or too high (11%)
- 80% of Americans — including 91% of Democrats, 82% of Independents, and 67% of Republicans — say the rich have too much political power in the U.S.
Image: Getty (Adam Gray / Stringer)
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