Few see unlimited campaign spending as a form of free speech
Washington, D.C., January 29, 2026 – Few Americans believe that unlimited campaign spending is an example of free speech protected by the First Amendment, according to a new American Promise poll conducted on the Ipsos KnowledgePanel. The survey, conducted ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1976 decision in Buckley v. Valeo, also finds that more than seven in ten Americans believe large donors make it harder for ordinary Americans to have their voice heard by elected officials. A similar number supports giving Congress and the states the ability to reasonably regulate and limit money in campaigns.
Detailed Findings:
1. Americans don't view unlimited campaign spending as protected free speech. Roughly three in four say expressing political opinions, either in person or on social media, is an example of First Amendment-protected speech.
- Just 15% of Americans say they consider spending unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns an example of free speech protected by the First Amendment. Half do not (50%), and about a third (32%) are unsure.
- Majorities of Democrats (61%) and Independents (53%) say unlimited campaign spending is not an example of free speech. A plurality of Republicans (44%) agree.
- By contrast, clear majorities do consider other forms of political expression to be protected speech, namely expressing a political opinion in conversation (78%) and posting political views on social media (74%). There is a strong bipartisan agreement here.
- Simply donating money to a political campaign is more of a gray area. More say it is free speech (42%) than those who say it is not (27%), while 28% are unsure.
2. More Americans want voters and elected officials, not the Supreme Court, setting the rules on money in politics.
- Just one in five (22%) were aware that the Supreme Court has previously ruled that spending unlimited money on political campaigns is protected as free speech, in the 1976 Buckley v. Valeo case.
- Regardless of awareness, by roughly three-to-one, Americans say voters and elected officials should be the primary decision makers on laws regarding money in politics (41%), rather than the Supreme Court (12%). Another 14% say neither, and 31% are unsure. Attitudes do not change significantly after hearing more information on the supreme court ruling.
3. Concern about money in politics is widespread, as most Americans feel donors and corporations have gained influence over political campaigns over the past decade.
- More than eight in ten Americans (81%) are concerned about the influence of money in American politics, including 78% of Republicans, 90% of Democrats, and 82% of Independents.
- Two-thirds (68%) say wealthy donors have more influence over political candidates and campaigns than they did 10 years ago. A 61% majority feels the same about corporations.
- Meanwhile, just 8% say small-dollar, individual donors have gained influence, while 45% say they have less influence than a decade ago.
- Three in four Americans (76%) agree that large donors to political candidates and campaigns make it harder for ordinary Americans to have their voice heard by elected leaders, a view shared by most Republicans (76%), Democrats (86%), and Independents (81%).
About the Study
This poll was conducted January 9–11, 2026 by Ipsos, on behalf of American Promise, using a weighted national sample of 1,036 adults (age 18 or older) living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia selected from its nationwide, probability-based online research panel, KnowledgePanel®. The margin of sampling error for this study is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level with a design effect of 1.11.
The survey includes 330 Democrats (margin of error ±5.6 percentage points), 279 Republicans (±6.0 percentage points), and 297 Independents (±6.0 percentage points). Data for all qualified respondents were adjusted to gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, and party identification distributions derived from the 2025 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the 2025 National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for party identification.
Specific categories used in weighting were:
Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
Party ID (Republican, Leans Republican, Independent/Other, Democrat, Leans Democrat)
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Mallory Newall
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
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