76% of Americans say the U.S. economic system is rigged to favor the wealthy
Core finding
76.1% of U.S. adults agree that the U.S. economic system is rigged to benefit the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of ordinary people, the sum of 43.4% who strongly agree and 32.7% who somewhat agree. Just 18.5% disagree (11.0% somewhat plus 7.5% strongly).
The strain shows up in concrete terms too. 36.0% of adults say it was sometimes (24.4%) or often (11.6%) true in the past 12 months that they worried their food would run out before they got money to buy more.
Three-quarters call the system rigged
76.1% of adults agree that the economic system is rigged to benefit the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of ordinary people, combining 43.4% who strongly agree and 32.7% who somewhat agree.
18.5% disagree (11.0% somewhat plus 7.5% strongly), and 5.4% are not sure.
Stacked breakdown
76.1% agree the economic system is rigged to benefit the wealthy and well-connected, including 43.4% who strongly agree.
n = 1,000 · May 21–26, 2026 · MoE ±3.1%
Strong agreement peaks among the young
53.4% of adults under 30 strongly agree the system is rigged, compared with 37.5% of those 65 and older.
By region, strong agreement is highest in the Northeast (49.2%) and lowest in the South (39.5%).
Food worry reaches a third of adults
36.0% of adults say it was sometimes (24.4%) or often (11.6%) true in the past 12 months that they worried their food would run out before they got money to buy more; 64.1% say it was never true.
Men were more likely than women to say that worry never applied (71.0% vs. 57.5%).
Topline
36.0% of adults worried at least sometimes in the past year that their food would run out before they got money to buy more.
n = 1,000 · May 21–26, 2026 · MoE ±3.1%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 21–26, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.1% |
| Module | Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052 |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The economic system in the United States is rigged to benefit the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of ordinary people.
- reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026
Within the past 12 months, we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.
Cite this topic
Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052, fielded May 21-26, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.1%.