_a.jpg "Photo: Yaron Brener")
Most will pay more for 'clean' service
Photo: Yaron Brener
23% say Knesset most corrupt
Photo: AFP
Only 13% of Israelis believe in gov't efforts against corruption
Global poll shows that 86% of Israeli public believes government attempts to battle corruption inefficient; 40% view political parties as most corrupt, 23% say Knesset most corrupt, while only 5% believe justice system is corrupt. Most Israelis willing to pay more for good from corruption-free companies
A whopping 86% of Israelis view the government's attempts to fight corruption as inefficient, a poll published by Transparency International's Israel chapter showed Wednesday.
A similar poll was carried out in 68 other countries, and Israel was found to be the most pessimistic country with regards to the success of the struggle against corruption.
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According to the poll, in which 500 people were interviewed about their opinions on corruption, 40% of Israelis view the political parties as most corrupt, 23% think the Knesset is the most corrupt, and 19% feel public service clerks are the most corrupt.
Seven percent of the respondents said they find the media to be most corrupt, while 6% think the private sector is corrupt.
The poll showed that Israelis have the most faith in the justice system, that came in last with only 5% of the respondents calling it the most corrupt body.
The percentage of people who believe the government's efforts to fight corruption are inefficient in Israel is that highest of all the 69 countries that took part in the poll.
According to the poll, only 13% of Israelis feel government efforts against corruption are efficient, while 86% feel otherwise.
Lithuania was not far behind Israel in this aspect, with 84% of its respondents saying their government's fight against corruption were fruitless. Greece came in third after Israel and Lithuania, with 76%.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, seem to be please with their government's ability to tackle corruption, as 96% of them agreed, as did 60% of Holland's residents.
1 in 100 involved in bribery
The poll also revealed a relatively more optimistic statistic: Only 1% of the respondents said they or one of their family members were involved in giving bribes in the past 12 months.In the United States and Canada, 2% of respondents said they were involved in bribery, while the numbers in Lebanon and Venezuela were 14% and 28% respectively. Liberia topped the list with 87% of its respondents saying they were involved in bribery in the past year.
Seventy-two percent of the respondents said they were willing to pay more to purchase goods from companies free of corruption. In response to the question, "How serious is the problem of bribing land authorities in order to achieve the desired results?" 54% said the problem was serious – very serious.
In response to the question, "How serious is the problem of political corruption in land cases?" 64% said it was serious – very serious.
Professor Joseph Gross, chairman of TI Israel, said, "The fact that the public views not only the political parties and the Knesset as corrupt, but also the public servants and the business sector, should serve as a warning to us all."
TI Israel's CEO Galia Sagi added, "In comparison to barometer indexes in previous years, it can be seen that the trend of viewing the public sector as the most influential on corruption is being preserved.
"Therefore, one must not make the mistake of linking this year's results to a certain government or the election period. The public in Israel has viewed its electives as corrupt for a number of years now. Israel must work towards implementing the UN treaty against corruption and the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, as a first step towards restoring the faith in its electives."
