OBOP opinion poll shows public believes corruption is getting worse

According to the results of the latest survey by the OBOP opinion polling center, over half of Poles think that corruption in Poland occurs very frequently. Some 54% of Poles hold this opinion, while in 1999 only 43% did. Only 18% hope that the situation might improve, while the more optimistic believe corruption will decline only after Poland joins the European Union (EU). "Wide scale corruption is proof that the state is not functioning properly," said the director of Transparency International Julia Pitera. The public does not trust politicians or state officials. Only 2% of Poles consider politicians to be more honest than the average person, while as many as 47% considers them to be worse. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3), M.T.