A new Rasmussen Reports poll found that while most people say they don’t cheat on their taxes, many are worried about an audit by the Internal Revenue Service.
The survey found that 33% of American adults are concerned that the IRS will audit their taxes, including 11% who are very concerned; 61% are not concerned, including 28% who are not at all concerned.
Worries about the IRS have been rising since 2017, when 23% were at least somewhat concerned they might be audited, Rasmussen noted.
Only 5% of Americans say they have ever cheated on their taxes while 92% say they haven’t cheated. Those findings are basically unchanged from 2017, Rasmussen reported.
Among those who admit they have cheated on their taxes, 59% are concerned that their taxes will be audited by the IRS. More men (12%) than women (9%) are very concerned they might get audited, perhaps because about twice as many men (6%) as women (3%) admit they have cheated on their taxes.
Adults under 40 are much more concerned than their elders about getting an audit. Men under 40 are by far more likely than others to say they have cheated on their taxes.