Costa Ricans Believe Country Is Very Corrupt, Poll Reveals
A poll done by the Escuela de Matemática de la Universidad de Costa Rica (Economics department at the UCR) evaluated the level of corruption Costa Ricans perceive.

For the pollsters the three governments prior to the Abel Pacheco administration were very corrupt or pretty corrupt; the first administration of Oscar Arias 20 years ago and the Pacheco administration had the lowest corruption levels, 10% and 17% respectively.

Those polled believe that the Legislative Assembly, the Poder Judicial (Court system) and the government have the primary obligation to fight corruption.

However, the poll revealed that Migración (immigration), the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), the local municipalities, the Asamblea Legislativa, the government and the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), are institutions that do little to fight corruption.

According to Jorge Poltronieri, a professor at the UCR, "the problem is when we ask about corrupt officials, the Legislators are in first place, followed by the government and former presidents. This is very disheartening because it is precisely they who should be fighting corruption".

An interesting fact revealed by the poll is that 60% of those polled did not know where to denounce corruption. Only 35% of them knew where to go and the process of denouncing corrupt officials.

The poll also revealed an interesting fact: men, between the ages of 45 and 54 who earn between us$500 and us$1000, are more likely to accept bribes. The poll shows that this group has a higher level of education, the majority having attended university, according to Poltronieri.

The poll was taken between June 3 and 12 of this year and interviewed 1000 people from 47 different communities.

Those polled said that the principal problems facing the country today are: personal security, economic crisis and poverty, unemployment and corruption.

The group also said that police top the list on being the easiest to bribe, followed by municipal officials and judges.

Bribes can be used to obtain a drivers license, fix traffic tickets, get a passport, pass the annual vehicular inspection and get medical treatment from the Caja de Seguro Social (CCSS).