--- description: An improving economy has done little to distract us from an issue sure to be a the forefront of the 2016 presidential contest: inequality. title: Most Americans Say Wealth Inequality Is a Huge Issue image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69e53261539a0dd6/698852f9cd684871380a02e5/gettyimages-112561118.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Economy](/tag/economy/) ## Economy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Most Americans Say Wealth Inequality Is a Huge Issue by [Claire Zillman / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Zillman / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2015 1:48 PM CUT  A McDonald's employee prepares an order during a one-day hiring event at a McDonald's restaurant on April 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California. A McDonald's employee prepares an order during a one-day hiring event at a McDonald's restaurant on April 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Claire Zillman / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Zillman / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2015 1:48 PM CUT An improving economy has done little to distract Americans from an issue sure to be a the forefront of the 2016 presidential contest: inequality. [A new poll by The New York _Times_ and CBS News](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/03/business/income-inequality-workers-rights-international-trade-poll.html "undefined") found that a majority of respondents—66%—said wealth should be more evenly distributed. 67% percent of respondents said the gap between the rich and the poor was getting larger, and 65% said the divide needs to be addressed now. A smaller chunk of respondents—57%—said the government should do more to close the gap between rich and poor, though they split sharply along partisan lines with one-third of Republicans supporting a more active government role, versus eight in 10 Democrats, [according to the _Times_](https://fortunedotcom.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post%5Ftype=post "undefined"). When asked if they wanted to raise taxes on Americans who earn more than $1 million, 68% said they were in favor of such hikes. Democrats are trying to capitalize on Americans’ belief that the economic recovery has been uneven, benefiting high-earners the most. But inequality is far from a partisan issue. The _Times_ reports inequality is a concern for almost half of Republicans and two-thirds of independents, which suggests it’s an issue that will persist through and beyond this election cycle. Considering these findings, it’s no surprise that both Democratic and Republican politicians are exercising their populist muscles. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/"},"headline":"Most Americans Say Wealth Inequality Is a Huge Issue","datePublished":"2015-06-04T13:48:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:54:52.730Z","description":"Expect it to be a 2016 campaign theme","url":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/","keywords":["Economy","Economics","Recession","politics","Inequality","Wealth","Recovery","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69e53261539a0dd6/698852f9cd684871380a02e5/gettyimages-112561118.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Claire Zillman / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69e53261539a0dd6/698852f9cd684871380a02e5/gettyimages-112561118.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"McDonalds Holds National Hiring Day To Add 50,000 Employees","caption":"McDonalds Holds National Hiring Day To Add 50,000 Employees","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/economy/","name":"Economy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/","name":"Most Americans Say Wealth Inequality Is a Huge Issue"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to protect your savings","description":"Making subtle changes to your retirement investments can prepare you for the worst and amp up your nest egg.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1xl7pLDt/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-01T04:28:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1xl7pLDt.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/","duration":"PT3M26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3908849/wealth-inequality/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```