Key Questions:
As described in Chapter 2, this year corruption was the second most frequently mentioned major problem facing Afghanistan as a whole, right after insecurity. Survey results reveal that Afghans see corruption as a major problem in all facets of life and at all levels of government (see Fig. 6.8 below). Forty-nine percent of respondents say corruption is a major problem in their neighborhood. Around equal percentages of respondents say corruption is a major problem in their daily life (56%) and in their local authorities (58%). More than two thirds say that corruption is a major problem in their provincial government (68%), and over three quarters say that corruption is a major problem in Af- ghanistan as a whole (77%).
Fig. 6.8: Q-25a/e. Please tell me whether you think that corruption is a major problem, a minor problem, or no problem at all in the following areas.
Q-25: Please tell me whether you think corruption is a major problem, a minor problem, or no problem at all in the following areas: [a. in your daily life, b. in your neighborhood, c. in your local authorities, d. in your provincial government, e. in Afghanistan as a whole].
Q-26: Please tell me how often in the past year have you had to give money, a gift, or perform a fa- vor for these organizations or in these situations? [a. officials in the municipality/district office, b. customs office, c. Afghan National Police, d., Afghan National Army, e. judiciary/courts, f. state electricity supply, g. public healthcare service, h. when applying for a job, i. admission to schools/ university, j. to receive official documents.]
Q-27: Do you think that your local district or provincial government is doing too much, about right, or not enough to fight corruption?
16 15 9 5 4 28 35 32 25 18 56 49 58 68 77 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
In your daily life In your
neighborhood In your local authorities In your provincial government In Afghanistan as a whole OPINION ON CORRUPTION
Nationally, when asked about corruption, respondents reported that it is a major or minor problem in the following categories: in Afghanistan as a whole (95%), in provincial government (93%), and in local authorities (90%). These figures have been consistently high since the first survey in 2006, with small changes from year to year.
For example, the percentage of respondents reporting that corruption is a major problem in their neighborhood fell slightly (by 2%) from 2012 to 2013. The perception that corruption is a major problem in Afghanistan as a whole is at its highest point in 2013 since the first survey was conducted in 2006. The lack of improvement in the assessment of corruption as a problem at these three levels of government is of interest when considering the commitment made by the government in the 2012 Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework to address corruption.
The biggest recent change in Afghans’ perception of corruption has been in the area of daily life. The percentage of respondents who say that corruption is a major or minor problem in daily life increased by 14% from 2006 to 2011, but fell by 4% from 2011 to 2013 (see Fig. 6.9 below).
Fig. 6.9: Q-25a. Please tell me whether you think that corruption is a major problem, a minor problem, or no problem at all in the following area. || 2006-2013
With corruption registering as one of the biggest problems facing Afghanistan, the survey sought to measure people’s actual personal experience with corruption in various facets of life by asking how
74 78 82 85 84 88 87 84 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
CORRUPTION: A MAJOR/MINOR PROBLEM IN DAILY LIFE
Afghanistan in 2013 80
often in the past year they had to give cash or a gift to, or perform a favor for, a government official in various institutions and situations (see Fig. 6.10 below).
The situation in which respondents most frequently encountered corruption in the form of an obliga- tion to pay a bribe is when seeking public healthcare services (38%). Around a third of respondents also report encountering corruption when applying for jobs (31%), interacting with the judiciary/ courts (33%), receiving official documents (28%) and in dealing with the Afghan National Police (31%). The lowest experience of bribery is recorded for contact with the Afghan National Army (21%).
Fig. 6.10: Q-26a/j. Please tell me how often in the past year have you had to give money, a gift, or perform a favor for these organizations or in these situations?
CORRUPTION: VARIOUS SITUATIONS Institution
No
cases In some cases Most cases In all cases Had no contact Refused Don’t know Overall
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
Officials in the municipality/
district office 23 12 11 6 47 0 1 100
Customs office 21 12 9 4 54 0 1 100
Afghan National Police 28 17 10 4 40 0 1 100
Afghan National Army 32 11 7 3 46 0 1 100
Judiciary/courts 21 15 12 6 45 0 1 100
State electricity supply 26 14 10 3 46 0 1 100
Public healthcare service 33 21 13 4 29 0 1 100
When applying for a job 25 15 11 5 43 0 1 100
Admissions to schools/
university 31 13 10 3 43 0 1 100
To receive official documents 25 14 10 4 45 0 1 100
Overall, when asked to provide their assessment of provincial and district government efforts to fight corruption, 47% of Afghans say that government’s level of effort is about right, and 37% say government is not doing enough. Respondents’ views vary across the regions (see Fig. 6.11 below). The largest proportion of respondents in the Central/Kabul (43%) and North East (38%) regions say the government is not doing enough to fight corruption. This is likely influenced by the fact that the Central/Kabul region has among the highest proportion of respondents who say that corruption is a major problem across most levels of government. Most respondents in the South East and South West regions say the government’s level of effort in fighting corruption is about right.
Fig. 6.11: Q-27. Do you think that your local district or provincial government is doing too much, about
right, or not enough to fight corruption?