Explaining perceptions of corruption in the United States

Steven Karceski, University of Washington
Steven Pfaff, University of Washington, Seattle

Recent survey data reveals the top fear among Americans is the fear of corrupt government officials, but it is unclear what corruption means to members of the public, and which groups, if any, are perceived to benefit from their corrupt behavior. To answer these questions, we created a module within the Chapman Study of American Fears to attempt to tease out the sources of the fear. We ask respondents about different groups in society (corporate leaders, the media, organized labor, celebrities, activists, etc.) and ask (a) whether they believe each group would use political power to pursue the interests of the country as a whole, or whether they would use it to pursue their own narrow interest; and (b) the degree to which the respondent believes the particular group has political influence. The survey data are not yet available, but our analysis of World Values Survey (WVS) data suggests a significant degree of the perception of general corruption (in this case it is not limited to state actors) can be explained by beliefs in corruption among government actors (state authorities and courts), but more so by perceiving corruption among corporate leaders and the media, perceiving interference in elections by the rich and the media, holding low confidence in banks and large firms. We believe our data are better suited for disentangling perceptions of state corruption. First, our measure of corruption is narrower; "corrupt state officials" is more specific and ensures private organizations (like churches or firms) are not the subject of the question. Second, our data will allow for us to separate out both the intent and capacity of other groups to influence the state.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 40. Political Elites