Americans agree on corruption, but partisanship shapes who is blamed

La Raja, Albert, and Nteta report a UMass Poll finding that 75% of Americans see a great deal of federal corruption and large majorities call self-dealing, quid pro quo, and partisan abuse of public power corrupt even when no law is broken. An experiment holding presidential conduct constant shows that partisan identity sharply changes whether respondents apply that standard.

The authors also find an institutional foundation for reform: 85% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans, and 80% of independents support criminal or ethics investigation when a president targets political opponents. They argue for independent fact-finding bodies and rules that apply regardless of party.