 |
 |
Central to any research on corruption is regular monitoring of citizens’ attitudes and in-depth consideration of how different sectors perceive transparency and accountability. Such surveys can serve as a public service, and hopefully enhance the political will to fight corruption without making it a political-party issue. Under the TAG project, four quarterly nationwide surveys and in-depth surveys of business have been conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) to deepen the understanding of public and private-sector perceptions of the roots and realities of corruption. Prior to the surveys, Social Weather Stations and the Makati Business Club convened four focus groups to discuss perspectives among various sectors of the business community and the general public concerning corruption as it relates to doing business in the Philippines. The results of these discussions were used in the final design of the survey questionnaires. Since March 1987, Social Weather Stations has been tracking the opinion of Filipinos concerning how government has been performing in the fight against corruption. SWS has completed a two-part study with support from The Asia Foundation. Phase I, completed in 1998, explored Philippine perceptions of graft and corruption, while Phase II, completed in 1999, further specified which sectors and levels of government are perceived by the public to be most vulnerable to corruption. |