- New poll of 3900 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 Eno, and
Abigail Disney – sign open letter to world leaders at Davos
calling on them to tax the
super-rich
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 on behalf of Patriotic
Millionaires has found that 77 percent of millionaires
polled 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: six in ten polled believe it
has had both a negative impact on global economic stability,
and a negative impact on affordability for everyday people.
But while his presidency has sent a clear warning sign to
the rest of the world about the power of the super-rich,
this is not solely a U.S. phenomenon. The danger of extreme
wealth is undermining societies worldwide
The polling
also found:
- 82 percent think there should be a
limit to how much money politicians and political parties
can receive from individuals - 62 percent think that
extreme wealth is a threat to democracy - Six in ten
think that extreme wealth prevents ordinary people from
living a decent life and is damaging social trust - 69
percent think the influence of the superrich over
politicians is preventing action on tackling
inequality - Only 17 percent oppose higher taxes on
the very richest to invest in public services and tackle the
cost of living crisis, with 65 percent supporting higher
taxes on the super-rich
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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.
The letter,
coordinated by Patriotic Millionaires, Millionaires for
Humanity and Oxfam International, 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.”
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.”
New figures from Oxfam International
show just how vast the public to private wealth transfer has
been over the last 50 years. 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 and
if this growth continues on the same trajectory, by 2075,
private wealth will have surged ahead of public wealth by
almost $900 trillion.
Public wealth includes assets
owned by society, like public land and parks, hospitals,
schools, road networks, barracks, social housing and law
courts.
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 taxes on the super-rich now and
prioritize reducing inequality, the world cannot continue on
this obscene
trajectory.”
Notes:
Summary
of G20 millionaires survey on attitudes towards extreme
wealth – 3,900 people with
more than $1 million in assets, excluding their homes, were
surveyed by Survation between December 2025 and January 2026
across G20 countries.
Key results of polling
conducted by Survation
- 62 percent of
millionaires polled think that extreme wealth is a threat to
democracy - 81 percent of millionaires polled 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 - 6 in ten think extreme wealth is
harmful to democracy, factual media and social
trust - 6 in ten think extreme wealth prevents
ordinary people from living a decent life and is damaging
social trust - 65 percent support higher taxes on the
very richest to invest in public services and tackle the
cost of living crisis - Only 17 percent oppose higher
taxes on the very richest to invest in public services and
tackle the cost of living crisis - 71 percent think
that extremely wealthy individuals can use their wealth to
significantly influence election outcomes - 69 percent
think the influence of the superrich over politicians is
preventing action on tackling inequality - Six in ten
think that Donald Trump has had a negative impact both on
global economic stability and on affordability for everyday
people
