Over 80% of Brazilians think common people can fight corruption

A survey conducted by Transparency International found that 83% of Brazilians believe that common people can make a difference in the fight against corruption. This is the highest rate for all of Latin America, followed by Costa Rica and Paraguay, both with 82%, according to the Global Corruption Barometer.

In the study, 22,302 people were interviewed across 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean from May to December 2016. In Brazil, data were collected between May and June 2016.

According to the report, 11% of Brazilians said they paid bribes in the 12 months prior to the survey in order to gain access to basic services (education, health care, having IDs issued, police, legal cases, and sanitation)—one of the lowest rates in Latin America, followed only by Trinidad and Tobago (6%).

“This number is considerably lower than Mexico's, which stands at 50%, or Peru's 40%. This also weakens the belief that every Brazilian is corrupt, dishonest, and that the country is hopeless,” said Transparency International Senior Consultant Fabiano Angélico.

The Global Corruption Barometer also indicates that 71% of respondents could spend an entire day in a courtroom providing evidence in a corruption case. Brazilians are the people who most strongly believe that it is socially acceptable to report cases of corruptions (74%). Eight of every ten Brazilians said they would feel compelled to report corruption cases if they witnessed one.

Brazilians, Peruvians, Chileans, and Venezuelans are also reported to perceive that corruption increased in the 12-month period prior to the study. Particularly corrupt are the police and politicians, in the opinion of at least 47% of respondents. Over half of respondents (53%) also argued that the governments are doing a poor job of fighting corruption.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira