Transparency International has rated Russia as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia in its 2016 Global Corruption Barometer.
In the study, respondents were asked questions about the most serious problems facing their countries, about how they evaluate the degree of corruption in government institutions, and about the efforts of the country's leadership to combat corruption.
"These studies suggest that corruption is perceived by Russians as the third most important problem in the country after the economic situation and the respondents' health; corruption is a more important topic than education, unemployment, and crime," the report states.
Russian respondents also said they were unlikely to report instances of corruption. When asked why, 17 percent said that it was dangerous, 16 percent felt it made no sense, 14 percent believed it would be too difficult to prove, and 11 percent were afraid to admit their own involvement in corruption.
Along with Russia, some of the most corrupt countries were Armenia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Serbia, and Lithuania.
This is the ninth publication of the Global Corruption Barometer; the previous study was released in 2013. The survey covers 42 countries in Europe and Central Asia, including EU member states, EU membership candidates, and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States,
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