Wealth and power the bias of the system

Does the economic system favor powerful interests?

Seven-in-ten U.S. adults say the economic system in their country unfairly favors powerful interests, compared with less than a third who say the system is generally fair to most Americans. Wide majorities of Americans also say politicians, large corporations and people who are wealthy have too much power and influence in today’s economy.

Do wealthy people have too much power?

Wide majorities of Americans also say politicians, large corporations and people who are wealthy have too much power and influence in today’s economy. These findings are part of a larger Pew Research Center survey on economic inequality.

How does economic inequality affect politics?

Economic inequality also feeds the political kind, driving everything from the actions of our political representatives to the quality and quantity of civic engagement, such as voting and community-based public service.

Is economic inequality a fringe political issue?

What was once viewed as a fringe political issue is now at the heart of the angry, populist rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign. Personified by outsider candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, economic inequality has resonated with broad swaths of nervous voters on both the left and right.

Can We have democracy or wealth?

“We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both,” Associate Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said decades ago during another period of pronounced inequality in America.

Who has too much power & influence?

About eight-in-ten or more adults say politicians (84%), large corporations (82%) and wealthy people (82%) have too much power and influence. About three-quarters (74%) say health insurance companies have too much power, and majorities say the same about banks and other financial institutions (64%) and technology companies (61%).