# Roughly half say a corrupt scientific establishment puts profit and politics over rigor

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/roughly-half-say-a-corrupt-scientific-establishment-puts-profit-and-politics-over-rigor/

> Indexed question in Politics.

## Reading

Nearly half of Americans (49%) agree that there is a corrupt scientific establishment putting profits and political objectives ahead of rigorous research, according to an April 2025 Verasight survey. That figure includes 19% who strongly agree.

Roughly one-in-five (19%) disagree, including 6% who strongly disagree, while 32% neither agree nor disagree.

## Topline

Please tell us the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: “There is a corrupt scientific establishment that puts profits and political objectives ahead of conducting rigorous scientific research.”

Roughly half say a corrupt scientific establishment puts profit and politics over rigor.

Net findings combine adjacent response options from the same scale.

- Neither agree nor disagree: 31.9%
- Agree: 30.2%
- Strongly agree: 18.6%
- Disagree: 13.4%
- Strongly disagree: 5.9%

## 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: 2025-04-09 → 2025-04-15
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.5%
- Module: policy
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#corruption-in-scientific-research](https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#corruption-in-scientific-research)

## Citation

Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2025-026, fielded April 9-15, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#corruption-in-scientific-research](https://verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co#corruption-in-scientific-research)