Number of Russians viewing authorities as corrupt continues to grow

File Photo of Man Placing Stack of Large Bills into Inside Pocket of Suitcoat

(Interfax – 11.29.12) Corruption in Russia remains high, and citizens are worried about it, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) told Interfax on Thursday.

Seventy-five percent believe that the corruption level is high or even very high. The indicator was the same in 2007-2008, the sociologists said.

Sixty percent claimed high corruption in their home towns in 2007. The index is down to 53 percent now. Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents (77 percent) and small town residents (79 percent) still affirm high corruption.

On the whole, local authorities seem to be the most corrupt in the eyes of Russians (36 percent as compared with 26 percent in 2007). Traffic police, which used to top the corruption list, have been downgraded in the corruption ranking (32 percent). Police as a whole (26 percent) and federal authorities (12 percent in 2007 and 26 percent now) are also deemed corrupt.

Twenty-one percent say courts are corrupt (13 percent in 2007).

Russians also mentioned corruption in healthcare (17 percent), big business (14 percent now and 10 percent in 2007), education (13 percent), the parliament, the Armed Forces and military registration and enlistment offices (7 percent), showbiz (4 percent), political parties and trade (3 percent) and mass media (2 percent).

The center polled 1,600 respondents in 138 residential areas in 46 regions on Nov. 24-25.

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