Two out of three millionaires surveyed believe the super-rich interfered inappropriately in the US presidential election.
The majority of millionaires are worried about the influence of the super-rich on the US president Donald Trump’s to the season. The matter is clear from a survey of millionaires, the background of which is, among others, the British aid organization Oxfam.
About 2,900 millionaires from the G20 group of the world’s most prosperous countries responded to the survey. More than 60 percent of respondents said they were worried that the influence of extremely wealthy people on Trump’s policies is a threat to global stability.
In addition, two out of three respondents believe that the super-rich improperly interfered in the US presidential election last year.
In total, more than half of the millionaires who responded think that extreme wealth is a threat to democracy and the democratic stability of their own country. Three out of four believe that the super-rich buy political influence.
Managers are advised to counter the effect
More than 70 percent of the respondents agree that the super-rich influence public opinion disproportionately by controlling the media and social media, using laws to their own advantage, and paying for access to decision-makers’ inner circles.
Seven out of ten respondents believe that the influence of the super-rich will lead to a decline in public trust in society’s institutions, such as the media, the legal system and democracy itself.
Seven out of ten are also in favor of raising taxes on the super-rich in order to reduce inequality and invest in public services.
In addition to the published survey, more than 370 millionaires and billionaires from 22 countries have signed an open letter urging state leaders to combat the influence of the extremely wealthy on the world’s democracies. The letter was published after Trump’s inauguration in connection with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.