You're reading: Report: Corruption in the nation on the rise

Ukrainians believe that the state has become more corrupt over the last two years, according to a Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer report released on July 9. And they're getting ready to do something about it, despite having little belief that it will solve the problem.

More than two-thirds of Ukrainians expressed a willingness to get involved in an action against corruption, such as joining a protest or signing a petition. One third of those people are ready to participate in a peaceful street protest, according to the 2012 findings by local Gallup affiliate ROMIR, which collected the data.

The previous report was compiled in 2010/2011, and since then concern about corruption has increased significantly. In 2012, pollsters found that three-quarters of those surveyed believe that public-sector corruption is a “very serious problem.”

At the same time, a large proportion of Ukrainians disagreed with the statement, “ordinary people make a difference in the fight against corruption.” 

Additionally, 74 percent of the people surveyed said they would not report an incident of corruption. The reason for this was split between 24 percent who were afraid of the consequences and 63 percent who thought that it would not make a difference.

Furthermore, 80 percent of those surveyed rated official anti-corruption efforts as ‘ineffective’ or ‘very ineffective.’

In answer to another question, 83 percent surveyed believe that personal connections are crucial to navigating the public sector. According to Transparency International, this elite networking seems to indicate to Ukrainians that the institutional decay of the country occurs through a few major entities that look out for their personal interests. 

The major institutions were ranked on a percentage scale out of 100. The judiciary branch was rated as the most corrupt institution with a score of 66 percent. The police and public officials were close behind at 64 percent and 56 percent. Non-government organizations and religious bodies were rated as the least corrupt with 20 and 21 percent respectively. 

Transparency International believes that Ukrainians increasing mistrust of institutions is due to an increase in bribes. Some 37 percent of the respondents reported paying a bribe in the last 12 months. Compared to the previous report, briberies increased dramatically for several institutions. 

Thirty-three percent of respondents reported paying a bribe to the state educational institution, in contrast to 18 percent in the previous report. Forty-one percent reported paying a bribe to medical, as opposed to 30 percent in the organization’s previous report, and 49 percent reported a bribe to the police, up from 29 percent the previous year.

Kyiv Post Intern Jesse Fleck can be reached at [email protected].