What people think about taxing wealth
Overview
U.S. adults are pessimistic about the economy, but they still show majority support for raising taxes on billionaires and large corporations.
Roughly 73% of adults agree that it would be fair to raise wealth taxes on billionaires. About 67% agree that it would be fair to raise taxes on large corporations.
Topline
36% are not sure whether Social Security will still be around in 40 years.
Do you believe that Social Security will still be around in 40 years?
- Not sure 36.2%
- No 34.7%
- Yes 29.0%
Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy
View source dataAdults are pessimistic about the near-term economy
About 46% of adults say they feel pessimistic about the U.S. economy in the next year, including 24% who are very pessimistic and 22% who are somewhat pessimistic.
The long-term retirement outlook is also uncertain. Roughly 36% are not sure whether Social Security will still be around in 40 years, while 35% say it will not and 29% say it will.
Stacked breakdown
73% agree that raising wealth taxes on billionaires would be fair.
Do you agree or disagree that it would be fair to raise wealth taxes on billionaires?
- Strongly agree
- 54.9%
- Somewhat agree
- 18.0%
- Neither agree nor disagree
- 13.4%
- Somewhat disagree
- 6.7%
- Strongly disagree
- 7.0%
Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy
View source dataMajorities say higher taxes on billionaires and corporations would be fair
About 73% of adults agree that it would be fair to raise wealth taxes on billionaires. This includes 55% who strongly agree and 18% who somewhat agree.
Support is also broad for taxing large corporations. Roughly 67% agree that it would be fair to raise taxes on large corporations, including 43% who strongly agree and 24% who somewhat agree.
Economic pessimism does not reduce support for higher taxes at the top
The money questions show pessimism and tax fairness moving together. Adults are more likely to say the economy looks weak than strong, but that does not translate into resistance to higher taxes on concentrated wealth.
The sharper pattern is that support for taxing billionaires and large corporations is much stronger than optimism about the broader economic outlook.
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
- 2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
- Base (unweighted)
- 1,000
- Margin of error
- +/- 3.5%
- Module
- Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy
- Sponsor
- Verasight
- Weight variable
- weight
- Weighting targets
- age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status
Sources
[4]- 01Do you agree or disagree that it would be fair to raise wealth taxes on billionaires?Strongest fairness signal in the module: taxing billionaire wealth reads as broadly acceptable.reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044
- 02Do you agree or disagree that it would be fair to raise taxes on large corporations?Extends the same fairness frame from billionaires to large corporations.reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044
- 03Do you believe that Social Security will still be around in 40 years?Captures uncertainty about whether Social Security will still feel dependable decades from now.reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044
- 04How optimistic or pessimistic do you feel about the US economy in the next year?Sets the mood: the economy is not being read with much optimism.reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044
Citation
Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.
https://reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-26