Near-record share of Americans see big business as greatest threat to U.S.
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The share of Americans who see business as the country's biggest threat, compared with government and labor, is near a high last reached more than two decades ago, when accounting scandals rocked the corporate world.
Why it matters: Gallup has been polling on this question since the 1960s, and, although big government always ranks as Americans' top perceived threat, distrust of companies has been steadily rising.
- Perhaps that's no surprise as multinational corporations have grown exponentially in size and power this century.
- The perceived threat of business tends to rise in recessions — although the U.S. is not currently in one.
Zoom in: At the end of 2025, Gallup asked: "In your opinion, which of the following will be the biggest threat to the country in the future—big business, big labor or big government?"
- 57% said government, down from 67% in 2016.
- 37% said business, up from 26%.
- Only 5% chose labor — a number that's been in the single digits since 2009. (In the 1960s and 1970s, labor was seen as more threatening than business.)
The big picture: The increase in those perceiving business to be a threat was driven by both Democrats and Independents.
- Democrats feel more threatened by business when a Republican president is in office — the GOP is known to be corporate friendly.
- But this year's results are a bit more unusual when you look at Independents, says Jeffrey Jones, a Gallup poll senior editor.
- In past years, Independents haven't changed their minds much on what's considered threatening. But this time, 40% of Independents identified big business as the top threat, up from 26% in 2016.
Between the lines: Jones suspects this could have something to do with President Trump's unusual moves around business — taking stakes in companies, for example.
- "This isn't a normal reaction to having a Republican in office," he says.
Methodology: A poll of 1,016 U.S. adults conducted Dec. 1 -15, 2025. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
