Pollster says most Americans believe economy is rigged to favor the elites

Pollster Mallory Newall on Wednesday said that most Americans believe the economy is rigged in favor of wealthy elites. 

“Most people agree that the American economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful,” Newall, research director at Ipsos Public Affairs, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.” 

“I think it does go back to the recession and underlying worry,” she continued. “The recession is sort of what gave rise to so much of this populism that we’re seeing today, and I think that there’s just this underlying sense of ‘the system isn’t working for me,’ and feeling constantly unsettled about that.” 

An Ipsos survey released in August found that 64 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful. 

Newall also said that the feeling of distrust in economic institutions extends around the world. 

“People feel, and have felt, that the system is rigged against them and broken,” Newall said. 

“A vast majority agree with the statement ‘the system is broken,’ ” she continued, referring to an Ipsos poll of 27 countries released in April. 

— Julia Manchester