For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Nearly 80 percent of millionaires think super rich buy political influence
New poll of 3,900 millionaires in G20 countries also finds six in ten think President Trump has had negative impact on global economic stability.
Nearly 400 millionaires from 24 countries—including Mark Ruffalo, Brian Cox, Brian Eno, and Abigail Disney—sign open letter to world leaders at Davos calling on them to tax the super rich
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND—As political leaders gather for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, millionaires from around the world say elected representatives must tackle the existential global crisis posed by extreme wealth by taxing the super rich.
Polling conducted on behalf of Patriotic Millionaires has found that 77 percent of millionaires from G20 countries think extremely wealthy individuals buy political influence, with 71 percent believing that those with extreme amounts of wealth can use it to significantly influence election outcomes. Donald Trump’s presidency was also critiqued by the millionaires polled: Six in ten believe it has had both a negative impact on global economic stability and a negative impact on affordability for everyday people.
The survey comes as nearly 400 millionaires and billionaires from 24 countries—including Mark Ruffalo, Brian Cox, Brian Eno, and Abigail Disney—have signed an open letter, Time To Win. It calls on global leaders attending the conference in Davos to win back our futures by taxing the super rich.
Mark Ruffalo, award-winning American actor and director, said: “Americans are confronted with the challenge of a lawless president who believes that the only limit to his power is his own morality and mind. But Donald Trump and the unique threat that he poses to American democracy did not come about overnight. Extreme wealth inequality enabled his every step, and is the root cause of the trend towards authoritarianism we’re witnessing in the U.S. and around the world. If leaders at Davos are serious about the threat to democracy and the rule of law, they must get serious about combatting extreme wealth concentration. That includes taxing wealthy people like me too. If we are to have democracy, not oligarchy, taxing the rich is essential to giving power back to the people.”
The poll of G20 millionaires assesses their attitudes towards extreme wealth. It was conducted by Survation between December 2025 and January 2026 on 3,900 people from G20 countries with more than $1 million in assets, excluding their homes.
Key findings from the Survation poll include:
- 62 percent think that extreme wealth is a threat to democracy
- 81 percent think extremely wealthy individuals can access politicians via their wealth
- 77 percent think that extremely wealthy individuals buy political influence
- 82 percent think there should be a limit to how much money politicians and political parties can receive from individuals
- 61 percent think our political leaders should do more to tackle extreme wealth
- 63 percent think extreme wealth is harmful to factual media
- 62 percent think extreme wealth is harmful to social trust
- 60 percent think extreme wealth prevents ordinary people from living a decent life
- 65 percent support higher taxes on the very richest to invest in public services and tackle the cost of living crisis, while only 17 percent oppose
- 71 percent think that extremely wealthy individuals can use their wealth to significantly influence election outcomes
- 69 percent think the influence of the super rich over politicians is preventing action on tackling inequality
- 59 percent think that Donald Trump’s presidency has had a negative impact on global economic stability
- 58 percent think that Donald Trump’s presidency has had a negative impact on affordability for everyday people
The Survation poll was commissioned by Patriotic Millionaires International, who worked with Millionaires for Humanity and Oxfam International to organize the open letter, Time to Win, to world leaders at Davos. It states: “When even millionaires, like us, recognise that extreme wealth has cost everyone else everything else, there can be no doubt that society is dangerously teetering off the edge of a precipice. We are worn out watching this happen. We want our democracies back. We want our communities back. We want our future back.”
New figures from Oxfam International show just how vast the public to private wealth transfer has been over the last 50 years. Public wealth includes assets owned by society, like public land and parks, hospitals, schools, road networks, housing, and courts. The richest 1% now own three times more wealth than the world’s total public wealth. In 1975, the gap between public and private wealth was around $36 trillion. By 2024, the difference was $435 trillion. If this growth continues on the same trajectory, by 2075, private wealth will have surged ahead of public wealth by almost $900 trillion.
Brian Eno, musician, artist and member of Patriotic Millionaires UK, said: “It is impossible to ignore the brutal levels of economic inequality people are living with, and it’s only getting worse. Over the past few years we have felt the full force of extreme wealth stripping us of our political power, our economic security, and the public wealth we share as a country. The super rich have been winning for long enough, now it’s time for everyone else to win. We want our security back, our communities back, the wealth of our countries back—and we want our democracies back. It’s time to tax the super rich.”
Claire Trottier, philanthropist, business owner, and chair of the Board of Patriotic Millionaires Canada, said: “It should be obvious to anyone, no matter how wealthy, that extreme wealth inequality is destabilizing democracies, economies, and societies around the world. You don’t need a crystal ball. It’s happening right now, and governments need to act with urgency before it’s too late. Taxation is the best tool the government has to constrain dangerous levels of wealth inequality, but as it stands, the tax code is only helping to make things worse.”
Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director said: “Last year the rise in billionaire wealth was unprecedented. The super rich are being given complete free rein, it is beyond comprehension that the richest 1% now own three times more than the world’s total public wealth combined. It’s a stark indictment that illustrates just how nonsensical the gulf now is between oligarchs and the rest of humanity. Governments must implement wealth taxes now and prioritize reducing inequality, the world cannot continue on this obscene trajectory.”
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The following Patriotic Millionaires are available for interviews during Davos:
- Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock
- Chuck Collins, Senior Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of recently published book, Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet
Three members from allied organizations—Dr. Phil White from Patriotic Millionaires UK, Julia Davies from Patriotic Millionaires UK, and Dr. Claire Trottier from Patriotic Millionaires Canada—are also available for interviews.
For interview requests with these individuals or other members of the Patriotic Millionaires, please contact Emily McCloskey at emily@patrioticmillionaires.org.