The American political system is in an era of unapologetic and unchecked political corruption. Even the mere perception of corruption contributes to Americans’ loss of trust in the government’s commitment to solving the problems they face in their daily lives. Left unchecked, corruption can ultimately undermine the foundations of liberal democracy, which is why addressing it is indispensable to democracy reform efforts.
While the term “political corruption” is often used to mean anything a speaker dislikes or distrusts, the formal definition is the abuse of public office for private gain.
“Abuse” in the corruption context is not limited to conduct that is against the law. It encompasses any violation of the basic standards of behavior and duties that come with office, including decisions made with extreme bias or at odds with established public policies. “Private gain” means the conduct at issue is neither for the public good nor in the public interest, and it may include economic benefits or other unfair advantages including power or influence. The specific private gain need not be for the public official but can also be for family, friends, allies, or anyone else — organizations and businesses included — that the public official seeks to benefit.
Often, corruption harms public policy and decision-making by diverting resources meant for public benefit toward a group of favored insiders. As corruption takes root, public goods such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and public safety suffer. Corruption, however, also causes less overt harm, including to democratic engagement.
Corruption distorts electoral democracy
One of the most destructive effects of corruption is that it depresses democratic participation. Study after study demonstrates that people are significantly less likely to vote when they view their political system as corrupt. Other measures of electoral engagement — including the willingness to make political contributions or to volunteer to support election administration — also decrease because of corruption, to a significantly greater extent than voter turnout. As democratic engagement diminishes, so too does democratic accountability, allowing corruption to burrow deeper.
To be clear, corruption’s impacts on democracy are not limited to places widely seen as chronically corrupt. Compared to such countries, those where corruption happens at the highest levels of government — such as the United States — can be affected even more.
Ultimately, corruption fuels political resignation — a diminishment of citizens’ willingness to punish corrupt leaders at the ballot box, creating a cycle where wrongdoing goes unpunished. This reduced political engagement is most pronounced among citizens who otherwise exhibit the strongest civic habits: Those who vote most consistently, consume the most political information, and have the highest capacity to mobilize are especially vulnerable to resignation when they believe corruption is pervasive. Even a limited number of high-profile instances of corruption can be enough to cause democratic harm, especially because popular belief about the extent of political corruption can exceed the reality of it, fueling a cycle where political participation declines (except for those who benefit or believe they will benefit from corruption), corrupt officials are not held accountable, and voters become increasingly disenchanted.
Corruption can also damage the wider political culture and social norms that make democratic self-government effective.
One way is by diminishing the quality and extent of government services, decreasing citizens’ approval of the government. For example, corruption has been shown to limit tax revenues and increase government expenses through off-book transactions. It redirects money away from social programs and education, entrenching wealth inequality, which itself can undermine democracy. By making government less effective and accountable to the people it is meant to serve, corruption reduces popular support for government itself.
More than this, corruption-fueled disillusion negatively impacts basic civic values that underlie democratic life. Exposure to corruption can even make citizens less likely to believe democracy is the best form of government. More fundamentally, social trust, honesty, and confidence in politicians and governments wither for those living under regimes popularly perceived as corrupt. Studies show corruption to reduce trust in both politicians and neighbors, and also to increase citizens’ willingness to engage in corrupt behaviors of their own.
The erosion of trust feeds directly into rising political polarization. As allegations of corruption proliferate, partisans become more inclined to view the opposing side not simply as competitors but as existential threats to the nation. In such an environment, corruption becomes a vehicle for deepening partisan narratives: Each camp accuses the other of systemic wrongdoing, as opposed to treating it as a loyal political opposition. And as polarization hardens, corruption becomes even more entrenched. Citizens grow increasingly willing to excuse corrupt behavior within their own party as they come to prioritize partisan ends over governance with integrity.
Addressing and uprooting corruption
In short, both the reality and popular perceptions of corruption reduce participation and trust in government and the political system writ large. Uprooting corruption through elections alone is therefore difficult; employing culture and citizen involvement in service to anti-corruption is essential. Containing corruption requires widely shared social norms reinforced by strong laws.
Throughout U.S. history, reform has often followed major scandals. Currently, trust in the federal government hovers near record lows — far below even the levels seen during the Watergate scandal. In one 2025 poll, 70 percent of respondents said they believed corruption in the federal government is a major problem.
In the United States, citizens have demanded accountability through a succession of frequent, peaceful, nationwide protests. At least three of those were counted among the largest single-day protests in American history.
Leaders must respond to the public’s demand for change. Enacting policies addressing the private sector’s power over the electoral process and rampant self-dealing is particularly urgent. To that end, the Brennan Center has advanced an ambitious set of nine solutions to address political corruption. These long-overdue reforms would also help restore the American people’s faith in democratic politics. Unless we address the issue of corruption, American democracy — with robust participation, fairness, and representation — is in peril.
