UK public's concerns, perceptions and understanding of corruption

Product Description

The Home Office commissioned Ipsos UK to deliver a nationally representative survey using the iOmnibus Online panel. The sample included 2,293 members of the UK public aged 16 and over. The survey explored the public’s understanding, perceptions and concerns about corruption.

The findings indicated that respondents:

• had widespread concern about the possibility of corruption across the public sector
• had high levels of concern about the impact of corrupt actors from abroad on UK public affairs, particularly politics
• showed significant concern about the possibility of UK professional enablers and businesses facilitating the actions of corrupt actors from abroad
• greatly overestimated the frequency of bribery in both the public and private sector when compared to estimates derived from experience-based surveys (Economic Crime Survey 2024 and World Bank Formal Sector Enterprise Survey 2024)
• had a broad view of what constituted corruption and frequently viewed unethical behaviours and instances of other types of economic crime such as money laundering and fraud as corruption
• were less likely to view behaviours constituting bribery in the business environment as corruption (compared to other scenarios of potential bribery) and more likely to think they were acceptable
• viewed the prevention of bribery amongst UK businesses as a shared responsibility across many organisations
• had low confidence in the government’s response to corruption risks