How Corrupt Is Your Country?

It seems only fitting in these heady economic times to pause for a moment of ethical thought. Which is not to say that we perceive a global, conscience-stricken outcry concerning rampant corruption.

Still, given the unending string of multi-national mega-mergers, and being just old-fashioned enough to harbor the suspicsion that big bucks = big corruption, we worked up a little self-help test, a few questions concerning the level of ethical behavior in your country.

There's corruption, and there's corruption. Or we might say, lesser corruption and greater corruption.

Lesser corruption ranges from the tiny acts of which we are all guilty (taking home the occasional sampling of office supplies from work, speeding) to the not-quite-so-tiny (minor cheating on income tax, exaggerating the latest gossip).

Then, in the larger corruption group, you start small (bribing minor officials) and get bigger (bribes in the guise of legal campaign contributions to politicians). Finally comes the biggest of all: the legal repression of freedom.

Give yourself and your country 5 points for each "yes" answer. If you're not sure, just don't answer a question.

After you've finished, go to the scoring page where you'll find results from test-takers around the world, which will allow you to see how your country stacks up corruption-wise.

Money.
1. Have you ever bribed a public official in your country?
2. Do you personally know someone who has bribed a public official in your country?
3. Have you ever accepted a bribe in your country?
4. Have you ever been present when a bribe was offered in your country?
5. Have you ever cheated significantly in reporting your income or tax liability to the government in your country?

Education.
6. Do many public schools in your country have a pass-em-no-matter-what policy?
7. Is classroom discipline a major problem in the public schools of your country?
8. Are high school newspapers generally censored by the school administration?
9. Is prayer or some form of religious observance allowed in public school classrooms in your country?
10. Is "Creationism" officially taught alongside evolution in science classes in any public schools in your country?
11. Does your country separate the sexes at any level of public education?

Society.
12. Are nude beaches either extremely uncommon or non-existent in your country?
13. Is prostitution illegal in most parts of your country?
14. Are same-sex marriages illegal in your country?
15. Is circumcision fairly or very common in your country?
16. Is unlimited, unlicensed ownership of guns legal in your country?
17. Have you ever lied when filling out a job application?
18. Does your government practice capital punishment?

Politics
19. Does your country have only one large political party?
20. If your country has several political parties, is there actually little difference between the two largest paries?
21. Are local civilian review boards for police malfeasance pretty uncommon in your country?
22. Is dissent from official government policy a risky behavior in your country?
23. Have you ever lied when filling out a government questionaire?
24. Would you be happy if your child grew up to be a politician?

Media
25. Does your country have a government-owned newspaper?
26. Does your country have a government-owned TV channel?
27. Does your government censor movies?
28. Does your government censor newspapers and magazines?
29. Does your government censor books?
30. Does your government attempt to control access to the Internet?
31. Does your government restrict circulation of foreign-language newspapers and magazines?

Gender
32. Are there more male students than female students in the universities of your country?
33. Are there more male professors than female professors in the universities of your country?
34. Are there more men than women in the chief legislative body of your country?
35. Is homosexual behavior either outright illegal or de facto illegal?
36. In your opinion, in the general population of your country, are fewer than 5% of the people homosexual?
37. Is there a public or professional dress code (written or unwritten) which is different for men and women in your country?

Religion.
38. Does your country have a government-supported religion?
39. Does your country’s government seek to repress or control religion, either explicitly or implicitly?
40. Does your religion allow only men at the higher level of its organization?
41. When your religion speaks about or to its deity, is that deity addressed or thought of as male?
42. Does your religion require or recommend male or female circumcision?
43. Is atheism an uncommon or rare system of belief in your country?

Corruption Scoring Page > >

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