Poll: Voters Most Concerned with Wealthy's Grip on 2016 Election

Poll: Voters Most Concerned with Wealthy's Grip on 2016 Election
Published: 23 Jun, 2015
1 min read

Americans are more concerned about the influence of money in politics than any other issue in the 2016 presidential election, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

Asked to rank their top concerns about the upcoming presidential election, one-third of Americans polled said that the power held by companies and wealthy individuals over the outcome of the race is more alarming than any of the other five issues tested.Democrats were most likely to list campaign finance as the top concern, with roughly half of self-described liberal primary voters ranking it as the most pressing matter at this stage in the race. Independent voters listed the influence of moneyed interests as the primary concern as well.

Republican voters, however, expressed more concern about the tone of the campaign, with most (37%) saying that they worry  about negative advertisements and smear campaigns taking prominence over substantive policy debate.

What Democrats, Republicans, and independents all seem to agree on is that nothing will change in Washington regardless of who replaces President Barack Obama in 2017, with 16% of voters surveyed expressing that issue.

The other issues surveyed included:

  • Candidates being too wealthy to understand the economic hardship faced by average Americans (12% listed this as a top concern); and
  • Three candidates (Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republicans Jeb Bush and Rand Paul) having family members who have pursued the presidency (4%).

The poll surveyed 1,000 adults and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 points.

You Might Also Like

Why We Call Ourselves Independent Voter News
Why We Call Ourselves Independent Voter News
For 15 years, we have published more than 14,000 articles written by people from different walks of life, different parts of the country, and different political backgrounds....
01 Apr, 2026
-
2 min read
New IVP 2026 California Governor Poll: What the Toplines Don’t Tell You
New IVP 2026 California Governor Poll: What the Toplines Don’t Tell You
Using verified California voter file data, IVP surveyed high-propensity voters from February 13 through 20. The poll tested first-choice ballot preferences alongside issue intensity on affordability and the cost of living, immigration enforcement, more choice reform, and more....
23 Feb, 2026
-
10 min read
81% of Americans Say Money Controls Politics – Can a Constitutional Amendment Fix It?
81% of Americans Say Money Controls Politics – Can a Constitutional Amendment Fix It?
Polls consistently show that nearly all Americans across the political spectrum agree that there is too much money in politics – whether from foreign sources, corporations, or so-called “dark money” groups. ...
23 Feb, 2026
-
13 min read