Topline
A rising number of Americans believe billionaires pose a threat to democracy, newly released data shows, and seven in 10 want the ultra wealthy to play a smaller role in U.S. politics amid an administration that has publicly cozied up to the country’s richest people.
Key Facts
More than half of Americans (53%) believe billionaires threaten American democracy, data from the Harris Poll’s annual Americans and Billionaires Survey shows, up seven points from when the same question was posed last year.
The survey found that Americans are becoming less enchanted with billionaires overall and want to see increasing regulations put on those with high net worths, including a limit on how much wealth someone can accumulate.
More than half of respondents this year said they’d like to see limits on wealth accumulation (53%, up from 46% in 2024), and those people largely think nobody should be allowed to have more than $10 billion.
Americans are also largely in favor of more regulations on billionaires—71% of respondents said there should be a billionaires tax and 64% think the government should impose mandatory philanthropic involvement for people worth more than $1 billion.
Over a third of Americans believe the U.S. economy is an uneven playing field that prioritizes the ultra-wealthy, with more than seven in 10 agreeing that wealth inequality is a serious national issue.
Almost all (94%) of respondents believe there is a wealth gap in America, with the top drivers cited as the rising cost of living outpacing incomes, corporate tax loopholes and lack of affordable housing.
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Big Number
310. That’s how many billionaires in the world are worth more than $10 billion, according to Forbes estimates Friday. Of those, 122 are American.
