Poll: Neither political party gets good marks on honesty

Neither party has a distinct advantage when it comes to Americans looking for honesty in U.S. politics.

Neither party has a distinct advantage when it comes to Americans looking for honesty in U.S. politics.

A new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey asked Americans to rate the honesty of politicians from the two major parties on a sliding scale — whether they are "always honest, sometimes honest, about equally honest and dishonest, sometimes dishonest, or always dishonest?"

The largest shares say politicians of both parties are sometimes or always dishonest. Among adults, 48% say that describes politicians from the Republican Party, and a slightly smaller 44% say that describes Democratic politicians.

Close to one-third of adults say politicians from each party are “about equally honest and dishonest,” while around 20% say politicians from each party are sometimes or always honest.

The new data underscores the lack of trust in institutions that has bolstered political outsiders and fueled electoral backlash against incumbent parties and political leaders, not just in the U.S., but across the globe.