• What is the Transparency International (TI) Global Corruption Barometer 2007?
• Who conducts the survey?
• Who is surveyed in the Barometer?
• Which countries/territories are new to the Barometer 2007?
• Which countries/territories featured in the Barometer 2006 are not included in the Barometer 2007?
• Why are countries included in previous editions of the Barometer not included in the Barometer 2007?
• Can my country be added to the TI Global Corruption Barometer?
• Can the Barometer be compared year to year?
• How is the TI Global Corruption Barometer unique?
• How does TI ensure quality of the Barometer?
• How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Corruption Perceptions Index?
• How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Bribe Payers Index?
• How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Global Corruption Report (GCR)?

What is the TI Global Corruption Barometer?

The TI Global Corruption Barometer 2007 (or the Barometer) is the fifth edition of a public opinion survey that assesses the general public’s perceptions and experience of corruption. This year’s Barometer polls more than 63,199 people in 60 countries.

The Barometer 2007 asks people about their opinions regarding which public sectors are the most corrupt, and their opinion on how future levels of corruption will evolve in the near future, as well as how their government is doing in the fight against corruption. The Barometer also explores people’s experiences with bribery, presenting information on how frequently citizens are asked to pay bribes when they come in contact with different public service providers.

Who conducts the survey?

The survey is carried out for Transparency International by Gallup International, as part of its Voice of the People Survey. Gallup draws on its in-country affiliates to translate and carry out the Barometer. In some instances, TI commissions other reputable polling organisations to carry out the Barometer within a country. In 2007, TI commissioned extra survey work in Armenia, Cambodia, Georgia and Lithuania.

Who is surveyed in the Barometer?

The TI Global Corruption Barometer is a public opinion survey. That means it is a poll of the general public, not of experts. In each country included, a representative sample of the general public has been polled. Respondents are men and women aged 15+. Some samples are national and others urban; all samples have been weighted to bring them in line with national and global populations.

Which countries/territories are new to the Barometer 2007?

New countries included in the 2007 GCB are: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Ireland, Lithuania and Vietnam. Due to timing issues, data for Armenia and Georgia will not be included in the Barometer Report but will be made available soon.

Which countries/territories featured in the Barometer 2006 are not included in the Barometer 2007?

Countries included in the Barometer 2006 but not in 2007 are: Chile, Congo, Fiji, Gabon, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, and Taiwan.

Why are countries included in previous editions of the Barometer not included in the Barometer 2007?

TI relies on Gallup International to carry out the fieldwork for the Barometer through its network of affiliates around the globe. In some cases, due to financial, organisational or political reasons these affiliates are not in a position to survey a country in a particular year. Unless we are able to commission another company to carry out the Barometer Survey on our behalf such countries drop from the survey.

Can my country be added to the TI Global Corruption Barometer?

In theory there are no restrictions on which countries can be included. In some editions of the Barometer, when Gallup International is not able to survey a particular country, TI chapters or other organisations implemented the survey. Funding permitting, TI hopes to be able to include more countries in the Barometer in years to come, particularly more developing countries.

Can the Barometer be compared year to year?

Yes. Where questions have been repeated in multiple years, the Barometer does allow trends to be established over time. The Barometer is in its fifth edition and therefore offers the possibility of interim assessments of changes over time in terms of the institutions the public deem most corrupt, people’s perspectives about how corruption will evolve over time, and proportion of citizens paying bribes to obtain public services.

How is the TI Global Corruption Barometer unique?

The TI Global Corruption Barometer is the only worldwide public opinion survey on perception and experience of corruption. As a poll of the general public, this year again covering 60 countries, it provides an indicator of the relative success of efforts to curb corruption around the world.

How does TI ensure quality of the Barometer?

The Barometer questionnaire is reviewed by TI’s Index Advisory Committee consisting of leading international experts in the field of corruption, econometrics and statistics. Members of the Committee make suggestions for improving the Barometer, but the management of TI takes final decisions on the survey design and its uses. Gallup International, who conducts the survey on behalf of TI, checks the data as part of its due diligence in conducting the Voice of the People Survey.

How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Corruption Perceptions Index?

The Barometer assesses the general public’s views of corruption, while the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) focuses on expert views. While the Barometer also addresses the experience of individuals (petty) corruption, the CPI reflects the perceptions of informed observers on corruption in the public sector and politics. Despite these differences, there is considerable correlation between the two surveys each year (The statistical correlation coefficient is 0.66 in 2007).

How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Bribe Payers Index?

The Barometer is a public opinion survey, while the Bribe Payers Index is drawn from a survey of business experts. The Barometer offers the views of the general public on corruption and its impact on their lives, as well as the experience of corruption. The BPI is a measure of insider opinion on the supply side of corruption and does not include empirical data.

How does the TI Global Corruption Barometer differ from the TI Global Corruption Report (GCR)?

The TI Barometer explores citizens’ opinions and experiences with corruption while the Global Corruption Report (GCR) presents an in depth-assessment of the state of corruption around the world, presented in a book form. Recent editions of the Global Corruption Barometer have included an additional set of questions tailored to the focal topic of the GCR, in order to complement the analysis in the Report. The most recent Global Corruption Report which includes some of the Barometer findings was published in May 2007.