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101 countries ranked according to perceptions of corruption in business, government

by Steve Crabtree and Nicole Naurath

Index Scores Related to Leadership Approval, Satisfaction With Freedom

Comparing confidence and optimism levels in countries that rank high on the list with those that rank close to the bottom reveals striking differences. Among the top 10 countries on the list, a majority of residents, 55%, say they have confidence in the country’s leadership; among the bottom 10 countries the figure is about one-third (32%). Across the top 10 countries, 84% of residents say people in their countries are able to
get ahead by working hard; in the bottom 10 countries, that number drops to 58%.

There is also a strong connection between Index scores and respondents’ sense of their personal freedom. Ninety-two percent of residents in the top 10 countries say they are satisfied with their freedom to choose what to do with their lives, compared with just 65% of those in the bottom 10 countries on the list.

Gallup Index Correlates Strongly With Other Corruption Measures

To test the validity of the Gallup Corruption Index, the scores were
correlated with two widely referenced sources on corruption in business
and government:

• Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which compiles surveys with country experts and business leaders
• results from three survey questions addressing corruption in the
  World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, which includes
  responses from approximately 11,000 executives in 125 countries

In each case, strong correlations (r = .70 or higher) were found. Eight of
the top 10 countries in the Gallup Corruption Index also appear in the
top 10 of Transparency International’s 2006 Index.

Gallup’s Index, however, is set apart by its consistency. Gallup supervises all
the data collection using identical methodological standards. In every
country, samples are designed to be representative of the entire
population, rather than just urban residents or other subpopulations.
Thus, the Gallup Corruption Index represents the true likelihood of
residents countrywide to perceive widespread corruption.

Survey Methods

Results are based on interviews with randomly selected national samples of
approximately 1,000 adults who are permanent residents in the 101
nations surveyed in 2005 and 2006. For results based on these samples,
one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to
sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition
to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.

The Gallup Corruption Index is calculated using the responses to two questions:

• Is corruption widespread throughout the government in your country?
• Is corruption widespread within businesses located in your country?

Scores are derived from the ratio of affirmative to negative responses (with
“don’t know” responses or refusals removed from the analysis).