"If the poll can be summarized in one sentence, it's this: Americans have a solid grasp of the highly unequal concentration of wealth in the United States—and they think it's rotten," wrote The New Republic's Ryan Kearney.
Asked "which of the following statements comes closest to your view on how wealth is distributed in America today," 72% of survey respondents—including 45% of those who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024—chose "the rich have too much," while just 6% said "the poor have too much" and 22% said "things are about fair the way they are."
Few respondents, across party lines, said they believe the richest 0.1% and 1% are paying their fair share of taxes, according to the survey, and 66% said they think the wealthiest Americans are paying "too little" in taxes.
The findings were published as Trump and GOP lawmakers in Congress worked to pass another round of tax breaks that would disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has estimated that the House-passed GOP budget reconciliation package would deliver $124 billion in net tax cuts to the richest 1% of Americans in 2026.
"Wages aren't keeping up with the rising cost of living, and the shrinking availability of living-wage jobs is compounding the strain. The consequences for working families are becoming increasingly severe."
In an effort to rally opposition to the Republican bill—which also includes unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, federal nutrition assistance, and green energy programs—Sanders will be holding a series of events in the U.S. South in the coming days, starting with a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in McAllen, Texas on Friday night.
"Sanders will target deep red districts currently held by Republicans, including the hometown of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)," the senator's team said in its announcement of the swing last week. "The tour serves as a pressure campaign, aiming to force vulnerable congresspeople to vote against any cuts to Medicaid, housing, nutrition, education, and other basic needs to pay for more tax breaks for the richest people in this country."
Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies across the U.S. have tapped into widespread discontent with the lopsided distribution of wealth in the United States and outsize political influence of a handful of powerful billionaires as workers struggle to afford basic necessities.
Last year, according to a UBS report published earlier this week, the U.S. added more than 1,000 millionaires per day on average, continuing a long-running trend of unequal wealth accumulation at the top.
Meanwhile, a new analysis from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) estimates that what the group describes as the "true rate of unemployment"—which counts "the jobless plus those seeking, but unable to find, full-time employment and those in poverty-wage jobs"—rose to 24.3% last month, just one indicator of workers' growing struggles in the U.S.
"Over the past four months, we've seen a stagnation in job opportunities that pay above poverty wages, particularly for low- and middle-income workers," said LISEP chair Gene Ludwig. "As economic uncertainty grows, more Americans are losing ground. Wages aren't keeping up with the rising cost of living, and the shrinking availability of living-wage jobs is compounding the strain. The consequences for working families are becoming increasingly severe."
