Poll Analysis | Is Corruption Socially Acceptable?
Millions of Indians bribe public servants to avail basic services. Due to time constraints, people prefer paying a bribe rather than standing in long queues. A respondent from New Delhi confesses to paying a bribe of Rs.1,600 to secure his passport as he was pressed for time. He opted to bribe to avoid waiting in long queues and likewise many indulge in consensual bribery to escape similar situations.
Another respondent from Bangalore paid a bribe of Rs. 15,000 to the Excise Department to escape delay in procedure.
This incident is not unusual. “30 per cent of all Indians are totally corrupt, 50 per cent of them are borderline cases” said former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Pratyush Sinha, at a talk organised by the Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry. “Just about 20 per cent of Indians are honest.
Here is a story of a person from New Delhi who bribed a police man with a bottle of soft drink to escape from clutches of a police officer. The person opines, “I know, it has become our habit now to go away by paying a bribe. That's the easiest way of course. But this way we are stimulating corruption in the country.”
"There was at least some social stigma attached to it. That is gone. So, there is greater social acceptance now for the corrupt," he said. It is for this reason, he said, that India is regarded as a hotbed of illegal betting syndicates, with gamblers and bookmakers involved in spot fixing in cricket matches.
We conducted a poll, asking people, “Is corruption socially acceptable in India?” According to the results, 59 per cent of the voters agree that corruption is socially acceptable in India whereas the remaining 41 per cent think otherwise.
A respondent commenting on the poll said, “Yes, corruption is socially acceptable in India. No one wants to do the things in a systematic way or follow laws & regulations.”
To know more, read this analysis of a related poll previously conducted on our website.
Poll Analysis | Is ‘Consensual Bribery’ Instigating Corruption?