According to the latest Thinking Minnesota poll, an overwhelming majority of Minnesotans support creating a new office of Inspector General to investigate and prosecute fraud in state government. Seventy-two percent of poll respondents support creating the Office of Inspector General while only twenty-four percent oppose. The bill (SF 856) passed the Senate during the regular session with strong bipartisan support but failed in the House when Democrats refused to support it on the last day of session.
The poll was conducted for American Experiment by Meeting Street Insights, a nationally recognized polling operation based in Charleston, S.C. Using a mix of cellular and landline phones, the company interviewed 500 registered voters across Minnesota from May 28-31, 2025. The margin of error is +-4.38 percent.
“With fraud in Minnesota government reaching more than $611 million over the last five years, the creation of an independent office of inspector general is long overdue,” said American Experiment Policy Fellow Bill Glahn. “Today’s poll shows the public has lost faith in the current system and is ready for real solutions.”
The wording of the question follows:
Do you support or oppose the creation of a new spending oversight entity known as the Office of Inspector General that would have law enforcement powers to track state spending and take legal action in fraud cases?
35% STRONGLY SUPPORT
36% SOMEWHAT SUPPORT
13% SOMEWHAT OPPOSE
12% STRONGLY OPPOSE
4% DON’T KNOW/REFUSED
72% TOTAL SUPPORT
24% TOTAL OPPOSE
The full results of the poll will be released in the Summer issue of Thinking Minnesota magazine.