Poll Shows Most Russians Do Not Give Bribes, Condemn The Practice
Interfax | May 12, 2011 | JRL 2011-86-18 | JRL Home
Moscow, 12 May: Russians on the whole (82 per cent) have never given a bribe, although one-fifth (18 per cent) have encountered a request from a state official about an unofficial payment for services, the results of an April poll by FOM (Public Opinion Foundation) have shown.
According to the research, which was carried out in 43 regions of the Russian Federation, the proportion of those who have not encountered bribery at all has increased in the last three years - 79 per cent against 60 per cent in 2008. The number of those who gave a bribe has also decreased - from 29 per cent to 15 per cent.
The majority of respondents condemned those who take (70 per cent) or give (47 per cent) bribes. At the same time, 22 per cent are relaxed about those who take bribes and 41 per cent about those who give them.
However, 84 per cent of respondents complained of the high level of corruption in the country and, in the opinion of 46 per cent, it is continuing to rise.
Predicting what the level of corruption will be in a year's time, 37 per cent of Russians expressed the opinion that it will not change, 30 per cent are sure that the level of corruption will increase and only 6 per cent think that it will decrease.
According to the results of the poll, most often residents of the North Caucasus (28 per cent), Southern (27 per cent), North-Western and Central (20 per cent each) federal districts encountered cases of corruption.
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