Solutions of polyacrylamide and poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) flocculants with varying molecular weights were shear degraded under a range of mixing conditions. The viscosity and flocculant activity of the solutions generally decreased with time to limiting values dependent on the mixing intensity. The activity of 10 and 20% anionic flocculants displayed quite different trends from those for nonionic flocculants of equivalent molecular weight, with less apparent degradation due to mixing, particularly at low dosages. However, viscosity measurements on sheared solutions diluted with a salt buffer suggest that nonionic and anionic flocculants with similar initial molecular weights were degraded to the same degree. Multiangle laser light-scattering measurements were used to confirm that the shearing process resulted in a reduction in molecular weight which was independent of anionic character. The apparent shear resistance of anionic flocculants observed from activity measurements was attributed to different flocculation mechanisms for the nonionic and anionic flocculants.