48% of Romanians believe the corruption rate is the same under the present officials, whereas a quarter of citizens opine it is even higher as compared to January 2005. It is only 15% of people who think corruption has dwindled and 13% have got no opinion. This is one conclusion of a TNS-CSOP opinion poll ordered by the Governmental Strategy Agency and elaborated last July. (...) The research shows most people think the best means to fight against corruption would be to make sanctions harsher, 19% claim that a pay raise for those tempted by bribe would be the solution. Very few comment that school and family education against corruption would be helpful. MPs are top of the list Romanians think MPs are the most corrupted category. 69% of them believe that most MPs are corrupted. There are only 4% Romanian citizens who say there is no corrupted MP. Businessmen come second in the top, as 61% Romanians share this view. Then there are government and minister employees. As for Romanian ministers, they are perceived as less corrupted than their employees. Policemen, judges, doctors and prosecutors are next. Journalists, priests and teachers are the least harmed by corruption, Romanians claim. Alfred Bulai, head of the above-mentioned agency, comments that many people think nothing has improved in the fight against corruption because in Romanian society corruption itself has been a lifestyle for very many years now. (...) No complaining about corruption Although most citizens admit this is the main difficulty of Romanian society, 92% of Romanians have never complained to the Police or other public institution about a corruption crime they noticed. According to the opinion poll, only 5% of Romanians did this. When asked why they don't complain, citizens answer they haven't learnt about such a deed or claim they are convinced that complaint would settle nothing. (...) Dissatisfied with the health and agriculture systems According to the research, most Romanians are dissatisfied with the government's activities related to the fight against corruption, the health and agriculture systems and the state of employment. 81% citizens express dissatisfaction with the fight of corruption. (...)

Ovidiu BANCHES