Corruption on the rise the world over: Transparency International

Six out of 10 people around the world believe corruption has increased over the last three years while one in four people reported paying bribes last year. These are the findings of the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer, a worldwide public opinion survey on corruption, released on the International Anti-Corruption Day (today) by Transparency International (TI).

Views on corruption trends are most negative in Europe and North America, where 73 per cent and 67 per cent of people respectively think corruption has increased over the last three years.

Despite these results, the survey also found that seven out of 10 people would be willing to report an incident of corruption.

"The fall-out of the financial crises continues to affect people's opinions of corruption, particularly in Europe and North America. Institutions everywhere must be resolute in their efforts to restore good governance and trust," said Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International. "It is heartening that so many people are ready to take a stand against corruption. This willingness must be mobilised."

The 2010 Global Corruption Barometer surveys more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories. It focuses on petty bribery, perceptions of public institutions and views of whom people trust to combat corruption.

Petty bribery: regional differences matter