You're reading: Russians believe graft worsened under Putin

MOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Most Russians believe corruption has worsened since Vladimir Putin took office a decade ago and bribe-takers are arrested only when the government needs a public relations boost, a poll showed on Monday.

Dmitry Medvedev, who replaced Putin as president in 2008, said corruption was a threat to the state and made it a priority. Putin, now prime minister, has promised to tackle graft, which he said undermined the economy.

Of 1,600 people surveyed earlier this month, 60 percent said they believed corruption was worse than in 2000, when Putin was elected president, the Levada Centre polling station said.

The proportion of people who believe corruption is getting worse rose from 45 percent in a similar survey in 2005.

Last year the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International placed Russia in joint 146th place of 180 countries in its Corruption Perception Index, saying bribe-taking cost about $300 billion a year.

Foreign investors consistently point to corruption as one of the most serious barriers to doing business in Russia.

Last week, Medvedev admitted that no significant progress had been made against corruption since he came to office, despite new rules to force officials to declare their incomes and moves to close legal loopholes that encourage corruption.

Russians polled by Levada were equally disillusioned.

Only 16 percent of those questioned said the authorities acted every time they were aware of an instance of corruption.

Seventy-two percent said criminal cases were opened against bribe-takers only when the government was undertaking a "demonstrative" battle against corruption.

"In the past 10 years corruption has become more systemic, but since the start of Medvedev’s campaign people have started talking about it more," said Elena Panfilova, head of Transparency International in Russia. "Since the crisis Russians have become more aware of what they are losing to corruption and they are angry," she said.