Nearly seven in ten Americans say the recently released Jeffrey Epstein files show that wealthy and powerful people in the United States are rarely held accountable for their actions, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey comes after the U.S. Justice Department released millions of documents detailing Epstein’s connections to prominent figures across politics, business, academia, and finance, reigniting public scrutiny of how elites escape consequences for wrongdoing.
Americans believe the Epstein files show the powerful get a pass, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds https://t.co/lmH1HDUAHB pic.twitter.com/Y1Qkou3QgK
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 18, 2026
The nationwide online poll, conducted over four days and concluding on Monday, found that 69% of respondents said their views were captured “very well” or “extremely well” by the statement that the Epstein files “show that powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable for their actions.” Another 17% said the statement described their views “somewhat well,” while 11% disagreed. Both Republicans and Democrats largely agreed, with more than 80% across both parties saying the statement reflected their thinking at least somewhat.
The documents shed light on Epstein’s interactions with well-known figures before and after his 2008 guilty plea on prostitution charges involving a minor. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 in a death ruled a suicide, maintained extensive ties to influential individuals, including political leaders and corporate executives.
The disclosures have already affected corporate America. Executives at Goldman Sachs and Hyatt Hotels resigned following the release of the documents, while others with ties to Epstein retained their positions. Among those mentioned in the files, Trump administration officials reportedly maintained connections with Epstein without being accused of wrongdoing.
The Epstein case has also been a political flashpoint. President Donald Trump, who socialized with Epstein during the 1990s and 2000s, has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct and said he ended contact with the financier before Epstein’s 2008 plea deal. Nevertheless, the files have continued to fuel public debate about elite accountability and government transparency since Trump’s name appears more often than he will admit.
While Americans broadly agree that powerful figures often escape consequences, they are divided on how much attention the nation should continue to give to the Epstein files. The poll found partisan differences, with 67% of Republican respondents saying they supported the view that “it’s time for the country to move on from talking about the Epstein files,” compared with only 21% of Democrats.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,117 adults across the United States and has a margin of error of three percentage points. The findings highlight enduring public skepticism about elite accountability, suggesting that high-profile scandals like the Epstein case continue to shape perceptions of power, privilege, and justice in America.
