Preliminary Findings of 2010 Corruption Survey were Presented to the Media

On December 10, 2010, following the International Anti-Corruption Day, preliminary results of the 2010 corruption household survey were presented. The survey was conducted by CRRC-Armenia for the USAID Mobilizing Action against Corruption (MAAC).

The preliminary survey results were presented by CRRC-Armenia Data Initiative and Methodological Trainings Program Manager Dr. Yevgenya Paturyan. The presentation was followed by question and answer session, in which participated MAAC COP Francois Vezina, CRRC-Armenia Country Director Heghine Manasyan, USAID/Armenia Democracy Adviso Mark Lavinson and CRRC-Armenia Program Manager Yevgenya Paturyan.

This survey was the third one in the series of annual surveys since 2008 and gives a unique opportunity to monitor the change of public opinion perception on corruption in Armenia.

The press conference was opened by USAID/Armenia Democracy Advisor Mark Lavonson. “The survey shows that more and more Armenians consider corruption to be a fact of life. While we note the growing pessimism among citizens over the last two years”, added Mr. Lavinson,” USAID remains committed to supporting the Armenian government and civil society in their joint efforts to combat corruption. Continued support to the network of Advocacy and Assistance Centers that are run by NGOs and work in collaboration with local government counterparts is a prime example of this commitment.”

The preliminary findings of the survey reveal that corruption is one of the five most serious problems in Armenia according to the public opinion. The fact that more than half of the respondents think that corruption is very serious problem in Armenia and people can do nothing about it and it is “a way of life”, is very alarming. Moreover, half of the respondents consider corruption being most severe among high-ranking officials. Only three percent of the respondents agreed that government’s actions against corruption are very effective.

As Yevgenya Paturyan noted, the final findings of the survey will be published in February 2011.