New poll shows that most Americans have a… complicated relationship with Wall Street bigwigs.

• A Harris telephone survey conducted February 16-21 seems to indicate that 82% of Americans want the government to “clamp down” on Wall Street.
• The desired regulation is mostly about the exorbitant executive pay at large, underperforming Wall Street firms.
• Most Americans believe that Wall Street does offer some value to America overall, but that many of the companies are run by a bunch of depraved, money-grubbing misers who would just as soon slight their fellow man in the name of an extra buck as they would pick up a loose quarter on the side of the street.

Facts & Figures

• The poll surveyed 1,010 adults via telephone.
• Of those 1,010 adults, 82% want tighter regulations, 67% view people who work on Wall Street negatively, 66% think that the Wall Street workers would engage in illicit activity if it provided a satisfactory payoff, and a similar percentage believe that most people who work on Wall Street are unscrupulous liars.
• Approximately 60% of the polled people think Wall Street benefits the US.

Best Quote

“[Americans agree that] most people on Wall Street would be willing to break the law if they believed that they could make a lot of money and get away with it.” – Anonymous Harris Pollster

Tags: corporate perception, corporate regulation, polls, Wall Street