On January 30, the Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the largest single disclosure under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law in November 2025. The release included more than 180,000 images, 2,000 videos, and reams of FBI interview summaries, financial ledgers, and flight manifests. Since then, the files have triggered resignations, congressional hearings, and global investigations.
Two waves of Change Research polling, conducted in August 2025 (n=1,590, ±2.6%) and February 2026 (n=1,741, ±2.5%), reveal a country largely united in its skepticism of the official narrative around Epstein’s death, mostly suspicious that the government is protecting powerful people, and supportive of continuing the investigation.
Support for Continued Investigation
More than three in four Americans (77%) indicate that they believe it is important that the government continues the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and activities, including 60% who believe it is very important. Just 20% say they believe it is not important.
This is not a partisan issue. Democrats are most emphatic at 91%, but independents (77%) and Republicans (64%) also register clear majorities in favor of continuing the probe. Among self-identified MAGA Republicans, 62% indicate continuing the investigation is important.
Younger Americans feel most strongly: 85% of voters aged 18 to 34 say the investigation is important, compared to 72% of those 65 and older. Women (79%) rate it slightly higher than men (75%).
Most Americans Believe the Government Is Hiding Something
When asked directly whether the government is keeping information about the Epstein investigation secret, 76% of Americans say yes. Just 10% indicate no, with 14% unsure.
This belief cuts across every demographic. Among Democrats, 95% indicate they believe the government is keeping secrets. Among independents, 81% agree. Among Republicans, 57% believe the government is withholding information.
Younger voters are especially likely to believe the government is withholding information. Among 18-to-34-year-olds, 86% say the government is keeping secrets, as do 87% of those aged 35 to 49. Belief in a cover-up is still dominant but slightly lower among older Americans: 70% of those 50 to 64 and 64% of those 65 and older.
These numbers are consistent with broader polling. A CNN/SSRS poll from January 2026 found that two-thirds of Americans say the government is intentionally holding back information, while just 6% were satisfied with the amount of evidence released. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from mid-February found 53% of Americans say the files have lowered their trust in political and business leaders.
The Trump Question
A separate version of the government secrecy question, shown to the other half of the sample, asked specifically whether the government is keeping information secret because it contains significant information about President Trump. Here, the country splits along more predictable partisan lines, but the topline is still striking.
A 56% majority say yes, the government is withholding information because it contains significant information about the President. Thirty-four percent say no, and 10% are unsure.
The partisan gap is wide. Among Democrats, 94% believe the government is hiding Trump-related information. Among independents, 66% agree. Republicans largely reject this framing, with just 17% saying yes and 69% saying no.
A Country That Believes Epstein Was Murdered
Change Research’s August 2025 poll provides a baseline for the depth of public suspicion around Epstein’s death. These numbers were captured before the Epstein Files Transparency Act was even signed and before the massive January 2026 document release. The skepticism was already significant.
Three-quarters of Americans (75%) indicated in August that they believed it is true that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered to protect powerful people, including 39% who felt it is definitely true. Just 10% indicated it is false.
This is one of the most bipartisan findings in the survey. At virtually identical rates, Democrats (74%), independents (79%), and Republicans (76%) all believed Epstein was murdered. Gender, region, and urbanicity produced almost no meaningful variation. This is not a belief confined to any corner of the electorate. It is the prevailing view of the American public.
When asked directly about the manner of death, 63% indicated a belief that Epstein was murdered, 14% believed he committed suicide, and 6% believed he was still alive. The murder theory has a majority across every partisan, regional, and demographic subgroup.
Deep Distrust of Institutions
The August 2025 poll also captures a broader landscape of institutional distrust that provides crucial context for how the public processes Epstein-related disclosures.
Eighty-eight percent of Americans indicated that they believe there are important historical events where the FBI’s or CIA’s real role is still not public. This belief is near-universal among Republicans (93%), but Democrats (82%) and independents (89%) are not far behind.
Eighty-seven percent believe it is likely that powerful people work together in secret to shape major political or economic events. Eighty-two percent believe major news stories are deliberately suppressed or hidden from the public very or somewhat often. And 88% agree that many very important things happen in the world that the public is never informed about.
These numbers describe a public open to skepticism about any official narrative. When the DOJ says there is no Epstein “client list” and no proof he was murdered, many voters are disinclined to disbelieve them. In the August 2025 survey, when respondents were told about the DOJ/FBI memo making exactly those claims, just 5% said the main reason was to increase transparency. The most common response, at 35%, was that the memo was released to damage or protect certain individuals’ reputations.
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The Big Picture
The Epstein case occupies an unusual space in American politics: an issue where majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans agree. Americans believe the government is hiding information, and say they want the investigation to continue.
The desire for continued accountability in the investigation is strong across the political spectrum. Democrats overwhelmingly believe the cover-up involves President Trump, a view largely rejected by Republicans.
While there is a significant gap in the perceived importance of the investigation (91% of Democrats vs. 64% of Republicans), it is crucial to note that nearly two-thirds of Republicans still support its continuation. The distinction is one of intensity, not direction: 82% of Democrats consider the Epstein investigation “very important,” compared to 38% of Republicans.
Methodology
Change Research conducted the February 2026 survey of 1,741 registered voters nationally from February 5-18, 2026. The modeled margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points. The August 2025 survey was conducted among 1,590 registered voters from August 20-26, 2025, with a modeled margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points. Both surveys were conducted online. Some questions in the February 2026 survey were split-sampled, with approximately half of respondents receiving version A and half receiving version B.