National Poll: 79% of Voters Distrust Corporate America -- Even Republicans -- as Bipartisan Populism Reshapes the Political Landscape

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2026) – Cygnal, one of the nation’s fastest growing and most accurate private polling firms, released the following monthly National Voter Trends (NVT) poll (conducted Mar. 3-4) of 1,500 likely general election voters.   

Data vs. Dogma:  

• For decades, Corporate America has operated on the assumption that its pro-business allies in the Republican Party, and the consumers who fund its bottom line, have a solid base of goodwill and support toward large corporations. This month’s data dismantles that assumption. 

• Only 20 percent of voters trust large corporations to act in the best interests of ordinary Americans. More striking: 80 percent of Republicans say corporations prioritize their own profits over the country’s interests, nearly identical to the 86 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Independents who say the same. Rural voters, the most Republican-leaning geographic segment in the electorate, distrust corporations at 83 percent, nine points higher than urban voters. Even among the wealthiest households earning over $200k a year, 51 percent say they have no trust in corporations at all. 

• The distrust runs deep and specific. Eighty-nine percent of voters believe health insurance companies deny legitimate medical claims to boost profits. Eighty-one percent say pharmaceutical companies charge high prices to maximize shareholder returns, not fund research. Sixty-eight percent say energy companies are taking advantage of consumers to increase profits. And voters support federal caps on credit card interest rates by a 69-point margin (the single most broadly popular policy in the entire survey) with married women leading that coalition at 86 percent. 

“Corporate America has spent years assuming that political friendliness from Republican voters translates into consumer trust. It does not, and this data articulates a serious underlying problem,” said Cygnal Founder and CEO Brent Buchanan. “When 80% of your own base says corporations are in it for themselves and when even the wealthiest Americans have written off corporate stated motives, that’s a structural collapse of institutional credibility. The companies that figure this out first and get ahead of it will have a decisive advantage. The ones that keep lobbying their way through it are going to find the ground has shifted permanently underneath them.” 

Our Pollsters’ Top Five: 

American Dream + Hispanic Optimism: Voters now say the American Dream is still alive by a 6-point margin, (51% to 45%) a 14-point net positive swing since August 2025. The rebound is driven by Republicans, women over 55, and most notably, Hispanic voters, who shifted 29 net points more likely to view the American Dream as alive compared to August. Voters who watched Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address live believe the Dream is alive by a 12-point margin, double the topline result. Independents who consider themselves moderate or conservative are 23 net points more likely to view the Dream as alive, compared to just 1 point among liberal Independents. 

“The Hispanic shift on the American Dream is one of the most significant and underreported data points in this poll,” said Principal and Pollster Alex Tarascio. “A 29-point net swing toward optimism in seven months is not a blip, but part of a steady realignment in how Hispanic voters see their economic future under this administration. When you pair that with 51 percent of Hispanics supporting the SAVE Act, this idea of Hispanic voters as a narrow Democratic constituency focused only on immigration is decades out of date. They’re proud Americans who believe in hard work, fairness, and earning success. Republicans who speak directly and authentically to Hispanic economic optimism have a real opening in the midterms.“ 

DOGE is Still a Winning Issue, Democrats are on the Wrong Side: Support for DOGE’s efforts to cut wasteful federal spending stands at 71 percent overall, including 9-point net support among Democrats and a 44-point net margin among Independents. Even moderates support DOGE cuts by a 46-point margin. When voters learn that Democrats in Congress voted against spending cuts, the generic congressional ballot narrows to a 46-46 tie after a net 4-point boost for the Republican candidate. Among moderates, the ballot moves 6 net points toward the generic Republican. Among swing voters, the shift is 9 net points. 

“Democrats voting against spending cuts while holding up DHS funding is the kind of contrast that moves real votes with real people,” said Buchanan. “The DOGE mission is still wildly popular and should be seen as a permission structure for Republicans to go on offense with moderates and swing voters who are otherwise drifting leftward. Seventy-one percent support, 9-point net support among Democrats, and a ballot swing to a dead tie when the contrast is made explicit. Any Republican candidate not running on this in 2026 is leaving points off the board.“ 

The SAVE Act is the Best Wedge Issue: Americans broadly support the SAVE Act by a 20-point margin (58% to 38%). Support is strong among Independents at a 15-point margin, and even 24 percent of Democrats back the legislation, making opposition narrower than on most partisan issues. Hispanic voters support the SAVE Act by 9 net points, cutting directly against the Democratic assumption that Hispanic voters oppose election integrity measures. Among undecided voters on the generic congressional ballot, support for the SAVE Act hits 67 percent, making it the single most effective persuasion issue for Republicans with the voters who will decide 2026. 

SOTU Consumption Mode Determined Perception: How voters encountered Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address determined entirely how they felt about it. The 40 percent of voters who watched it live viewed it net-positively by a 14-point margin. The majority who saw, read, or heard about it secondhand through news coverage and commentary viewed it net-negatively by a 55 to 23 percent margin. Among those who engaged directly with the SOTU in any form, the generic ballot sits at a 48-48 tie, compared to a D+34 margin among those who were not exposed at all proving the reach gap is driven by self-selection and not a persuasion failure. 

“The SOTU data is a flashing warning light for how Republicans communicate between now and November,” said Buchanan. “Trump won the room with people who watched live. The media then handed a net-negative reframe to everyone else. Voters who rely on Facebook, podcasts, talk radio, and YouTube, all platforms Trump dominated in 2024, viewed the speech net-negatively by 5 points despite self-identifying 11 points more Republican than Democrat. Those are our voters consuming content that is working against us. It is time for the President and every Republican candidate to get back on the platforms where their coalition actually consumes information.“ 

Data Nuggets: 

• Iran Nuclear Threat: 49% are extremely or very concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon, with 22% not concerned at all. 50% support U.S. military strikes against Iran with 44% opposed. Republicans support the strikes at 87%, while Independent women under 45 support them by a 9-point margin and swing voters over-index by 7 net. 89% of Democratic women under 45 oppose the strikes. 

• Force for Good: Voters view the U.S. as a force for good in the world by a 17-point margin overall. However, only 33% of Black voters and 37% of 18-29 year olds share that view, compared to 61% of White voters and 60% of older voters. 

• Military Readiness: 57% of American voters are extremely or very confident in the readiness and strength of the U.S. military. 

• Cuba: Voters remain confused on Cuba — only 37% see it as an enemy and just 9% as an ally. Hispanic voters view Cuba more as an enemy but only by a 24-point margin, a notably narrow gap given historical context. 

• Party Vision: Only 11% of voters say Democrats have a clear, compelling vision for the country. Republicans fare better but still only reach 27%. Independents give Democrats just 5% on having a clear vision. 

• AI and Society: 55% say AI will have a net negative impact on society over the next 10 years, though 67% say U.S. leadership in AI development is critically important. The most pessimistic age group is 18-29 year olds at -42 net, the generation most exposed to the technology and most skeptical of its consequences. AI pessimism is also concentrated among college-educated women. 

• America at 250: Voters believe there is much for Americans to celebrate as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary by a nearly 21-point margin, 63% to 35%. Among the 35% who say there is nothing to celebrate, 94% say the country is on the wrong track. Voters who are actively working are 14 points less likely to feel celebratory than those who benefit from the workforce without participating in it. 

• Health Insurance: 89% of voters believe health insurance companies deny legitimate medical claims to boost profits. The intensity is highest among younger college-educated voters at 94%, and the wealthiest voters are actually 4 points more likely than lower-income voters to say yes. 

• Pharma Prices: 81% say pharmaceutical companies charge high prices primarily to maximize shareholder returns, not to fund research or develop new medicine. Only 14% believe high prices go toward research. Affluent voters have a harsher verdict on pharma than lower-income voters do. 

• Energy Pricing: 68% say energy companies are taking advantage of consumers to increase profits. Republicans say gouging at 62%, Democrats at 73%. The gap between parties narrows sharply on health insurance and pharma, where partisan differences essentially disappear. 

• Media as Gatekeeper: 57% say news media act as gatekeepers who selectively choose what information gets shared, vs. 31% who see them as watchdogs. Republicans under 30 push that number to 83%, the highest of any subgroup. Nearly 4-in-10 Democrats also see media acting as a gatekeeper. 

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Led by CEO and pollster Brent Buchanan, author of America’s Emotional Divide, Cygnal is an award-winning international public opinion and predictive analytics firm that has revolutionized the polling industry with multi-mode polling, message mapping, and emotional analytics. Recognized as the #1 private pollster by the Silver Bulletin and The New York Times, the firm boasts an impressive 95 percent accuracy rating in the 2024 election cycle. With experience in all 50 U.S. states and over 20 countries, Cygnal has strategically guided over 3,100 campaigns and conducted more than 4,800 polls. Its client roster includes high-profile figures such as Governors Greg Abbott and Brian Kemp, Senator Markwayne Mullin, along with numerous other Members of Congress, state legislators, caucuses, corporations, and trade associations, solidifying Cygnal as a clear leader in political polling and analytics.