1.5 million Tunisians paid 570 million dinars in bribes in 2020, reads a survey on petty corruption in Tunisia carried out by the Tunisian Association of Public Controllers, in association with the National Centre for State Courts.
Petty corruption has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, posting a 21% increase compared to 2014, highlights the same survey presented at a press conference held Tuesday in Tunis.
The same source said the value of a single bribe has risen from 217 dinars in 2014 to 375 dinars in 2020, adding that 76% of those who have resorted to this corruption are men, against 24% of women. The age range of these people varies between 26 and 45, the study reveals.
19% of respondents paid a bribe, according to the US Embassy-funded survey that included a sample of 1,000 people.
This rate is almost in line with the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 of the organisation International Transparency which placed Tunisia at the same rank as South Africa, Bulgaria, Panama, and Colombia.
The outcomes of the survey revealed that the age group between 26 and 45 is the one who pays the most bribes.
According to the same survey, the level of education has nothing to do with the volume of corruption recorded in Tunisia. People who pay bribes have already finished primary, secondary and university education, unlike the conclusions of several surveys stipulating that the more people are educated in a country, the less the corruption is.
In terms of sectors, the survey uncovered that the sectors most hit by corruption are those of police (50%), health (20%), local authorities (14%), and public facilities of any type (10%).
The other sectors are not immune to corruption yet to a lesser degree. These include the fields of public works, banking and transport and even trade unions and political parties.
By regions, the survey reveals that 10 governorates scored above the national average (oscillating between 30% in Béjà and 28% in Kasserine), while three governorates (Monastir, Nabeul and Tunis) are at the same level as the national score, 6 governorates between 17% and 10%, three of which are in the southern region (Médenine Kébili and Tataouine).
Most jobs in the private sector are the ones affected by corruption. These include liberal jobs, business leaders, middle managers in the private sector or farmers. They all gave a bribe with rates exceeding the national average, which represents, according to the survey, an ” unhealthy sign of business climate in the country”.
As for jobs in the public sector and retirees, they give less bribes (10% of employees and 3% of teachers).
These low rates do not mean the absence of corruption within this groups, authors of the survey said, adding that they may reflect other faces of corruption such as «clientelism» and «services rendered.»
The most prevalent forms of corruption among Tunisians are bribes, regionalism and clientelism, according to the respondents.
As for gifts and favouritism, they are considered a normal practice by a large part of the citizens, the survey showed.
With regard to the perceptions of corruption among Tunisians, 86% of respondents believe that the phenomenon has worsened a lot in 2020, against 4% expressing the opposite.
