Majority of EU citizens reject corrupt practices involving public officials

More than seven in ten (71%) of EU citizens consider it ‘never acceptable’ to do a favour to receive something from officials in public administration or public services, a new Eurobarometer survey has found.

The survey, which is now in its tenth edition, examines the level to which corruption is ‘accepted’ by European citizens, as well as the effectiveness of government, the judicial system, and institutions in tackling corruption.

Other findings from the study include that three quarters (74%) believe it is never acceptable to give gifts to those working in public administration or public services, while 80% believe that giving money for favourable treatment from public administration or public service is never acceptable.

At the same time, some, 69% of Europeans believe corruption is ‘widespread’ in their country, with just over half 51% pointing specifically to corruption within political parties.

Perceptions by EU member state

Some EU member states have a higher public perception about corruption than others – in Greece, 97% of the public believe that corruption is widespread in their country, along with 92% in Croatia, 91% in Portugal and 90% in Cyprus.

By contrast, just 21% of Finns believe that corruption is widespread in their country, along with 28% of Danes, 49% of Estonians and 51% of Swedes.

On average, across the EU, some 73% believe national institutions are affected, while 70% say the same about local or regional institutions.

Tackling corruption

Europeans are also sceptical about efforts to tackle corruption, with two thirds (66%) of respondents believing that high-level corruption cases are not being pursued sufficiently, and 56% believing that government efforts to combat corruption are ineffective.

In addition, nearly half (47%) of Europeans believe that existing anti-corruption measures are not applied impartially within their country.

When it comes to personal experience of corruption, 5% of respondents across the EU say they have witnessed or experienced corruption in the past year, however just one in five of this cohort have reported it.

The survey was conducted between January and February 2025 and published in July by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. Read more here.