This survey took place between 2-6 March 2017 and was conducted throughout all of Russia in both urban and rural settings. The survey was carried out among 1600 people over the age of 18 in 137 localities of 48 of the country’s regions. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes. The answer distribution is presented as percentages of the number of participants.
The statistical error of these studies for a selection of 1600 people (with a probability of 0.95) does not exceed:
3.4% for indicators around 50%
2.9% for indicators around 25%/75%
2.0% for indicators around 10%/90%
1.5% for indicators around 5%/95%
Data over time
Table 1 IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, HAVE YOU, YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS, OR RELATIVES HAD OCCASION TO…(multiple answers; arranged according to latest survey)
| Jul. 00 | Feb. 05 | Jan. 07 | Apr. 10 | Jan. 12 | Jan. 13 | Feb. 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Get a job | 34 | 36 | 33 | 24 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 29 |
| Spend time in the hospital | 34 | 37 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 25 | 26 |
| Get important documents from local authorities | – | 24 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 19 |
| Get a driver’s license/register an automobile/get an automobile inspected | 13 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 14 |
| Violate the rules of the road and be detained by traffic police | 9 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
| Put a child in school | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
| Arrange a funeral | -* | 21 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 10 |
| Arrange rights to an apartment, housing | 4 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Apply to an institute | 12 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Obtain registration/residence permit | 6 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| Speak with military enlistment offices regarding conscription | 9 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Pay your company’s taxes/file a tax return for your company | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Get a building permit/permission to purchase land | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Get important documents from government ministries/offices | – | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Go through criminal proceedings in court | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Register a company/obtain or renew permits, licenses | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Be prosecuted/under investigation | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Clear goods through customs | 1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| None of the above | 36 | 25 | 33 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 38 |
*Option was not included in the list of possible answers.
Table 2 IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, HAVE YOU, YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS, OR RELATIVES HAD OCCASION TO GIVE OR BE SOLICITED FOR BRIBES, GIFTS, OR OTHER SERVICES WHEN YOU HAD TO… (multiple answers; arranged according to latest survey)
| Jul. 00 | Feb. 05 | Jan. 07 | Apr. 10 | Jan. 12 | Jan. 13 | Feb. 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Spend time in the hospital | 13 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Violate the rules of the road and be detained by traffic police | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Get a driver’s license/register an automobile/get an automobile inspected | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Put a child in school | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Apply to an institute | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Get important documents from local authorities | – | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Get a job | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Arrange a funeral | – | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Obtain registration/residence permit | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Arrange rights to an apartment, housing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Speak with military enlistment offices regarding conscription | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Get a building permit/permission to purchase land | 1 | 1 | 2 | <1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Register a company/obtain or renew permits, licenses | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | 1 |
| Get important documents from government ministries/offices | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Go through criminal proceedings in court | – | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| Pay your company’s taxes/file a tax return for your company | 1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| Clear goods through customs | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| Be prosecuted/under investigation | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| None of the above | 73 | 76 | 76 | 69 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
Table 3. Share of respondents who in the past three years have had occasion to give a bribe or render a service during interaction with the given institution/in the given situation (arranged by frequency of corruption)
| Jan. 13 | Feb. 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Violate the rules of the road and be detained by traffic police | 47 | 43 | 48 | 42 |
| Get a driver’s license/register an automobile/get an automobile inspected | 32 | 34 | 28 | 31 |
| Spend time in the hospital | 33 | 24 | 27 | 31 |
| Put a child in school | 20 | 10 | 12 | 15 |
| Get important documents from local authorities | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Get a job | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
Table 3 provides only those government bodies/institutions with which no less than 12% of respondents have interacted within the last 3 years (see Table 1).
WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOLVING DAY-TO-DAY ISSUES WITH THE HELP OF BRIBES?
| Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| I think it’s sometimes necessary | 10 | 10 |
| I think it can be tolerated | 10 | 10 |
| I do not think it can be tolerated | 31 | 28 |
| I think it’s totally unacceptable | 44 | 46 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 6 |
WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS CORRUPTION IN THE GOVERNMENT?
| Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| I think it’s sometimes necessary | 1 | 2 |
| I think it can be tolerated | 4 | 3 |
| I do not think it can be tolerated | 27 | 24 |
| I think it’s totally unacceptable | 62 | 65 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 6 |
WHO DO YOU THINK IS MORE TO BLAME – THOSE WHO TAKE BRIBES, THOSE WHO GIVE BRIBES, OR BOTH EQUALLY?
| Feb. 05 | Jan. 07 | Feb. 15 | Mar. 17 | |
| Those who take bribes | 35 | 34 | 31 | 31 |
| Those who give bribes | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Both equally | 53 | 55 | 59 | 58 |
| It is difficult to say | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT OF RUSSIA IS AFFECTED BY CORRUPTION?
| Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Corruption has fully permeated the Russian government from top to bottom | 25 | 32 |
| Corruption has significantly taken hold in the Russian government | 51 | 47 |
| Corruption is present in the Russian government, but it is insignificant | 13 | 13 |
| There is almost no corruption in the Russian government | 1 | 1 |
| It is difficult to say | 10 | 7 |
DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS MORE, LESS, OR APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF STEALING AND CORRUPTION IN THE COUNTRY’S LEADERSHIP TODAY AS COMPARED TO THE EARLY 2000S?
| Mar. 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| More | 30 | 32 | 31 |
| Approximately the same amount | 46 | 47 | 43 |
| Less | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| It is difficult to say | 11 | 10 | 12 |
DO YOU THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN MORE, LESS, OR APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNT OF STEALING AND CORRUPTION IN THE COUNTRY’S LEADERSHIP SINCE VLADIMIR PUTIN’S RETURN AS PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA?*
| Mar. 01 | May 03 | Dec. 06 | Apr. 12 | Apr. 14 | |
| More | 11 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 11 |
| Approximately the same amount | 62 | 58 | 54 | 57 | 64 |
| Less | 18 | 16 | 26 | 26 | 17 |
| It is difficult to say | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
* In 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2012, the question was given in the following form: “IN YOUR OPINION, SINCE VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA…”
IN YOUR OPINION, DOES VLADIMIR PUTIN BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SCALE OF HIGH-LEVEL GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND FINANCIAL ABUSE WHICH ARE FREQUENTLY CITED BY HIS OPPONENTS?
| Mar. 13 | Apr. 14 | May 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar.17 | |
| Fully | 39 | 36 | 37 | 26 | 25 |
| In large part | 34 | 42 | 43 | 40 | 42 |
| Only partly | 15 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 20 |
| He could not be responsible for all this | 6 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 9 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
WITH WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS REGARDING CORRUPTION IN RUSSIA WOULD YOU MOST AGREE?
| Mar. 12 | Nov. 12 | Apr. 13 | Apr. 14 | Sept. 14 | May 15 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Putin’s war on corruption can be successful by cleaning out high-level officials and toughening punishment for related crimes | 27 | 27 | 20 | 27 | 26 | 31 | 25 | 27 |
| Putin will attempt to fight corruption but real success is unlikely, as corruption in Russia is incurable | 35 | 35 | 35 | 43 | 38 | 42 | 44 | 45 |
| Combatting corruption will be problematic for Putin, as he himself in large part depends on corrupt officials | 15 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 17 |
| Putin will not seriously attempt to fight corruption because he himself in one way or another is invested in it | 15 | 12 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| It is difficult to say | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
DO YOU THINK THAT CORRUPTION, BRIBERY IN RUSSIA CAN BE FULLY ERADICATED OR AT LEAST SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED, OR DO YOU BELIEVE THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS “SOCIAL EVIL”?
| Jul. 00 | Feb. 16 | Mar. 17 | |
| Corruption and bribery can be fully eradicated | 12 | 15 | 16 |
| The extent of corruption and bribery can be significantly reduced | 52 | 56 | 58 |
| Nothing can be done about this “social evil” | 29 | 24 | 21 |
| It is difficult to say | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
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