Bipartisan majorities say they pay too much in taxes, but views on spending are more divided

A majority of Americans say they spend too much in taxes and about half think proposed military spending for next year is too high, according to the latest Economist / YouGov Poll.

A majority (58%) of Americans say that the amount of tax they pay is too high. About one-third (32%) say the amount of tax they pay is about right, while almost none (1%) say the amount they pay is too low.

There is not as much partisan division on this question as on certain matters of tax policy. Majorities of Democrats (58%), Independents (54%), and Republicans (63%) say the amount they pay in taxes is too high. About one-third of each group say the amount they pay is about right, while almost none in any group say the amount is too low.

There is also not much division based on income: Americans with higher family incomes are slightly more likely to say the amount they pay is too high compared to Americans with lower incomes. 56% of Americans with family incomes of less than $50,000 say they pay too much in taxes, compared to 61% of Americans with incomes of between $50,000 and $100,000 and 60% of Americans with incomes of $100,000 or more.

Americans are about as likely to say the amount of tax they pay is not fair as to say they pay too much (61% vs. 58%). This share is affected even less by partisanship and income. The shares of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who say the amount of tax they pay is not fair are all within 1 percentage point of 61%, as are the shares of Americans with family incomes less than $50,000, between $50,000 and $100,000, and $100,000 or more.

When thinking about federal taxes this year compared to taxes last year, about twice as many Americans say the amount they pay this year will be slightly or much higher than say it will be lower (28% vs. 15%). About one-third (32%) say this year's taxes will be about the same as last year's. Republicans (20%) are a bit more likely to say that this year's taxes will be lower than are Democrats (13%) or Independents (13%).

Americans with higher family incomes are more likely to say their taxes will be higher this year, but also more likely to say they will be lower. Americans with lower family incomes are more likely to say their taxes will stay about the same.

Like with higher-income Americans, Americans who say their family finances have improved this year are both more likely to say their taxes will be higher this year and more likely to say their taxes will be lower. Americans who say their finances are about the same are more likely to say their taxes will also stay about the same. Americans who say their family's finances have gotten worse are more likely to say they will pay more in taxes than to say they will pay less (30% vs. 14%).

While many Americans have strong opinions on the amount they personally pay in taxes, a smaller share express an opinion about changes made to the tax system in 2025 by the Trump administration and Congress. 40% of Americans say they have no opinion about changes to the tax system. Those who do have an opinion are about evenly split between supporting and opposing the changes (31% vs. 29%).

Views on the tax changes are highly polarized by party identification. A majority (54%) of Democrats somewhat or strongly oppose the changes, while only 7% support them. Independents are also more likely to oppose the changes than to support them, though the margin is much closer (31% vs. 24%). A majority of Republicans (61%) support the changes, while only 4% oppose them.

Americans with higher incomes are more likely to say they have an opinion about the changes than Americans with lower incomes. But among those with an opinion, income does not seem to significantly shape support or opposition to the changes. Americans in all three income groups are narrowly more likely to support the changes than to oppose them.

Americans are much more likely to express opinions about upcoming spending proposals than about last year's tax policy changes. Nearly half (47%) of Americans say the Trump administration's proposed military spending for 2027 — $1.45 trillion, up from about $1.01 trillion in 2026 — is too much. About one-third (32%) say it is about right and only 4% say it is too little.

A majority (76%) of Democrats and about half (51%) of Independents say the proposed spending is too much. In contrast, a majority (61%) of Republicans say it is about right, while only 15% say it is too much.

There is more of an appetite for increasing education spending: A majority (60%) of Americans say the federal government should increase what it spends on education. 17% think federal education spending should stay the same and 15% think it should be decreased.

Majorities of Democrats (82%) and Independents (61%) say federal education spending should be increased. Only 39% of Republicans say the same, while 28% say federal education spending should stay the same. Only one-quarter (25%) of Republicans say federal education spending should be decreased, but this is higher than the shares of Independents (14%) and Democrats (4%) who say this.

The Economist / YouGov survey asked Americans if they would support or oppose four tax policy changes, and found that majorities would strongly or somewhat support all four. Support was highest for a proposal to exempt homeowners 65 and older from property taxes (73%). Two-thirds (67%) would support an additional tax on incomes over $1 million. The same share (67%) would support no federal income tax on the first $75,000 of earnings. 62% of Americans support increasing the child tax credit to $3,600 per child age 6 to 17 and $4,320 per child under 6.

Proposals to exempt older Americans from property taxes and eliminate federal taxes on income below $75,000 are more popular among Republicans than Democrats. Proposals to increase taxes on incomes of $1 million and increase the child tax credit draw more support from Democrats than Republicans. But each of the four proposals is supported by majorities of Democrats and Republicans.

A majority of Americans use either tax preparation software or a paid tax preparer when filing their taxes. Software solutions are a bit more popular than accountants: 35% of Americans say they use software or apps, while 26% say they pay an accountant or other person. 5% say they do both and 24% say they do neither.

Americans with family incomes of $100,000 or more are more likely to use software than are Americans with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 (44% vs. 38%) and less likely to pay a person to help with taxes (26% vs. 35%). Americans with family incomes less than $50,000 are less likely to use software or paid preparers than those with higher incomes: 35% of Americans in this group say they do not use either, compared to 15% of those with higher incomes.

Image: Getty (Scott Olson / Staff)

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