A majority of Americans doubt that political leaders will be held accountable to the nation’s laws and Constitution, according to a new survey that also finds growing dissatisfaction with equal treatment under the law.
The Gallup–Kettering Foundation findings released Sept. 22 show 53% of U.S. adults distrust that leaders will face accountability, up from 48% in 2025. Just 28% express trust, while 18% neither agree nor disagree.
The results are national and do not provide a separate estimate for New York or the Finger Lakes. But the questions have a practical connection to government oversight in New York, where residents can request public records, observe government meetings and report suspected misuse of taxpayer money.
A documented corruption case in Steuben County illustrates both failures of local oversight and the consequences that can follow an investigation.
Distrust increases among Republicans and independents
Republicans remained the political group most likely to express confidence that leaders would be held accountable. Still, their confidence declined from 47% in 2025 to 39% this year.
The share of Republicans expressing distrust increased from 32% to 40%, while 20% remained neutral.
Among independents, distrust rose from 55% to 60%. Democrats’ views were largely unchanged, Gallup reported.
The findings measure expectations about political accountability. They do not establish whether a particular official broke the law, whether a specific investigation was adequate or how often wrongdoing goes unpunished.
Most reject exceptions to the law
Despite doubts about enforcement, Americans broadly supported the principle that government officials must follow the law.
When asked to choose between two statements, 78% said officials must always follow the law without exception. Another 20% said officials should sometimes be allowed exceptions to do what is needed for the country.
Support for exceptions was highest among adults ages 18 to 29, at 27%. It stood at 21% among those ages 30 to 49 and 17% among adults 50 and older.
Republicans were more likely to support exceptions, at 26%, compared with 19% of independents and 17% of Democrats. Nevertheless, large majorities in each political group chose the position that officials must always follow the law.
Equal treatment and checks on power receive poor marks
Six in 10 Americans said equal treatment under the law was working moderately or very poorly, up from 55% last year. Just 18% said it was working moderately or very well, down from 22%.
Negative ratings increased across political groups. They rose from 35% to 40% among Republicans, from 61% to 65% among independents and from 70% to 72% among Democrats.
Americans also expressed concern about how power is divided among the federal government’s branches. Fifty-one percent rated that division as working moderately or very poorly, compared with 47% in 2025. Twenty percent rated it positively, and 29% said it was working OK.
Asked about the amount of power held by each branch, 59% said the presidency and executive branch had too much. That compared with 38% for the Supreme Court and judicial branch and 34% for Congress and the legislative branch.
The executive branch question produced a substantial partisan divide: 82% of Democrats and 64% of independents said it had too much power, compared with 25% of Republicans. Most Republicans, 63%, said it had the right amount.
Democrats were also more likely than Republicans to say the judicial branch had too much power, 48% to 26%. On Congress, 30% of Democrats said the legislative branch had too little power, compared with 7% of Republicans.
These questions concerned federal institutions. They were not ratings of New York’s governor, Legislature or courts.
Steuben County case shows the stakes of local oversight
In Addison, a state audit and subsequent investigation led to a public corruption conviction involving more than $1.1 million in village funds.
The state comptroller’s audit summary, issued July 11, 2025, found that the former clerk-treasurer misappropriated funds for personal gain. Auditors said the village Board of Trustees failed to provide adequate oversight and separate financial duties, allowing the misconduct to go undetected.
The former clerk-treasurer pleaded guilty in May 2024 to first-degree corrupting the government and was sentenced that August to three to nine years in state prison. She also was required to forfeit her monthly public pension — the first such forfeiture imposed on a New York public official as a penalty for corruption while in office, according to the comptroller.
Village officials generally agreed with the audit’s recommendations and indicated they had begun corrective action.
The case documents an oversight failure followed by enforcement. It does not establish why respondents answered Gallup’s questions as they did or represent the performance of every New York government.
New Yorkers can obtain records and observe decisions
New York’s Freedom of Information Law, commonly called FOIL, provides access to government records, subject to statutory exceptions.
Residents can send a request to the records access officer at the agency holding the documents. The law covers state and municipal agencies, including counties, cities, towns, villages and school districts. Courts fall outside FOIL’s coverage, while the Legislature is covered under different provisions.
An agency denying access must explain its reason in writing and identify the appeal process. The state Committee on Open Government provides guidance and sample request and appeal language.
The Open Meetings Law separately protects the public’s ability to attend the open portions of meetings, listen to deliberations and observe decisions by covered public bodies, including town boards, village boards, county legislative bodies and school boards.
That right to observe does not automatically include a right to speak. The committee’s guidance explains that the law is silent on public participation, although many boards allow public comment.
Speaking up ranks ahead of respecting authority
When asked which was the more important responsibility of a citizen, 68% of Americans chose speaking up against injustice, while 30% chose respecting authority.
People who viewed accountability, equal treatment or the division of government power negatively were especially likely to prioritize speaking up.
Because the question required a choice, the results do not mean respondents considered the other responsibility unimportant. They also do not establish whether respondents actually attended meetings, filed complaints or took other civic action.
How the survey was conducted
Gallup’s survey methods describe a sample of 23,683 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Interviews were conducted in English.
The sample combined 10,800 respondents recruited through the probability-based Gallup Panel with 12,883 respondents from a third-party nonprobability panel. Gallup weighted the results to reflect the demographic makeup of the U.S. adult population.
Web responses were collected April 24-May 21, 2026, while mail responses continued through June 10. The September release therefore describes opinions collected in spring, rather than a survey conducted immediately before publication.
Gallup reports a maximum margin of sampling error of plus or minus 0.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, including the effect of weighting. Subgroup margins are larger, and question wording, participation and other survey difficulties can introduce additional error.
For New Yorkers with specific concerns about taxpayer money, the state comptroller’s investigations office accepts fraud complaints online and at 1-888-672-4555 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its investigations cover state and local government fraud, public vendors and grant recipients, and pension fraud.
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