Promoting Transparency and Accountability...EuropeAid/139891/DH/SER/MK ProTRACCO: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration 6 RESPONDENTS’ DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE

This project is funded by

the European Union

Promoting Transparency and Accountability

in Public Administration in North Macedonia

Project implemented by:

EuropeAid/139891/DH/SER/MK

KEY FINDINGS ANALYSIS FROM PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY ON CORRUPTION AND

INTEGRITY PERCEPTION WITHIN THE PROJECT “PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND

ACCOUNTABILITY IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF NORTH MACEDONIA” FINANCED

BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

Report Integrity Survey part 2

TIM Institute – Research, quality, development

October, 2020

This report has been prepared by the PwC-led Consortium. The findings, conclusions and

interpretations expressed in this document are those of the Consortium alone and should in no way be

taken to reflect the policies or opinions of the European Union.

ProTRACCOPromoting Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration

EuropeAid/139891/DH/SER/MK ProTRACCO: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Public

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CONTENT

Methodological report 3

Respondents’ demographic structure 5

Research data analysis 7

Key findings 40


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METHODOLOGICAL REPORT

For the goals of the project “Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Public

Administration of North Macedonia”, financed by the European Union, during the period from

16th to 21st October, 2020, TIM Institute conducted a public opinion survey about the citizens’

perception on corruption and integrity through CATI telephone research with 1026

respondents in Republic of North Macedonia.

During the research, multilevel stratified representative sample of the citizens in the

Republic of North Macedonia at the age of 18+ is used.

The households are distributed proportionally in urban and rural inhabited places in all

8 regions in the country, taking into consideration the ethnicity of the citizens in the country as

well.

Our CATI software provides numerous benefits in terms of conducting surveys as well

as quality control.

The application's main functionalities are:

- Offline surveys

- Data collection based on a pre-created real-time questionnaire directly into the software

database

- Ability to supervise real-time data

Using this application provides many benefits in terms of data collection speed, quality

of data collection as well as control and supervision of interviewers on how they conduct the

survey and follow the methodology.

A program questionnaire was created for the needs of the research (in cooperation

with the client) which consists of 32 questions and additional questions related to respondents’

demographic characteristics.

A pilot testing was conducted before the research which consisted of 10 interviews,

created for testing the questionnaire and providing comments and feedback from the

interviews in order to achieve its improvement and making the telephone interviews easier.

The interviewing was in Macedonian and in Albanian.

Due to decreased penetration of home telephone lines, the Institute used 50% mobile

phones when interviewing.

SPSS for Windows and Microsoft Office for Windows (Word и Excel) were used for

statistical data processing, report processing, as well as for the charts and the tables.


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Percentage of effected contacts and rejections

Number of contacts 1338

Total number of effected interviews 1026

Percentage of effected interviews 77%

The feedback from the interviewer’s network was that the acceptance and the general

interest among the respondents was rather good.

A high level of contacts was achieved. Although the interviewers were facing

rejections, the expectations were met just as in most of the public opinion surveys.


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RESPONDENTS’ DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE

GENDER AGE

EDUCATION NATIONALITY

REGION POPULATED PLACE

Women

53%

Men

47%

11

1617

20 20

16

0

5

10

15

20

25

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 Над 65

Elementary

1

6

Secondary Higher

6

2

70

24

6

Macedonian

Albanian

Other

URBAN 5 9 % RURAL 41 % 8,4%

11,3% 11,6%

7,8%

2

28,5%

9,1%

8,7% 14,7%


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WORKING STATUS

0

2

2

6

9

17

17

19

29

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Other

Farmer

Bussines owner

Student

Housewife

Retired

Working in the public sector

Unemployed

Working in the private sector


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RESEARCH DATA ANALYSIS

Chart 1 (Q1). To what extent are the situations described below acceptable for you personally?

The analysis of the received answers shows that a high percentage of the citizens

perceive the corruption activities as absolutely inacceptable.

Still, for one third of the citizens it is absolutely or somewhat acceptable paying a

doctor to get better care. Almost every fourth citizens would absolutely or somewhat

accept giving a gift to an official of a public service supplier agency to be certain to

obtain. Simultaneously, almost one quarter of the citizens would absolutelty or

somewhat accept paying police for turning a blind eye to an infringement commited by

those citizens.

3

3

2

3

3

3

4

21

31

14

8

10

8

20

73

64

83

88

84

88

75

3

2

2

1

3

1

2

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Paying police for turning a blind eye to aninfringement you have committed

Paying a doctor to get better care

Paying teacher to increase the grade orhelp with the exam

Paying the judge for judgment in yourfavour

Paying an official of the social securityservice or social insurance house for theaward to you of an allowance, pension,

compensation

Accepting payment to cast your vote for acertain political party or candidate in

elections

Paying or giving a gift to an official of apublic service supplier agency to be

certain to obtain

Absolutely acceptable Acceptable in some cases Absolutely inacceptable Do not know, no answer

%


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Additional analysis of data shows that the stated corruptive activities are perceived

in higher percentage as inacceptable by women, citizens older than 55, ethnic

Macedonians and people from smaller ethnic communities.

Chart 2 (Q2). How much do you agree with the following statements?

Research data shows that 7 out of 10 citizens believe that there is a complete or some

violation of the right in every of the following four situations: a physician soliciting a

bribe for treatment, a policeman taking bribe from the driver who has been caught

driving while intoxicated, a bribe for acceptance to university and forced payment of a

bribe to an investigator, a judge or a prosecutor. On the other hand, the percentage of

the citizens who think that taking and giving bribe does not violate the right in any of

these situations is identical (about one quarter).

The ethnic Macedonians and citizens from urban settlements in higher percentage

agree that any kind of giving bribe is violating the right of the people in these specific

situations.

Chart 3 (Q3). What is your personal attitude to unofficial payments?

56

57

54

59

15

14

15

12

11

10

10

9

16

16

17

17

2

2

3

4

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

A physician soliciting a bribe for treatment does not respect the

patient’s right to medical assistance

A policeman taking a bribe fromthe driver who has been caught

driving while intoxicated orinfringing road traffic regulationsdoes not respect the right of road

users to life and safety

A bribe for acceptance touniversity means disrespect for

the right to education

Forced payment of a bribe to aninvestigator or a judge or a

prosecutor means disrespect forthe right to honest, independent

Strongly agree Aagree Disagree Strongly disagree No opinion, no response

%


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On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 = I prefer an unofficial payment system because it

enables me to obtain required services, while 10 = I prefer not to have a system on

unofficial payments, even though I’ll have to wait longer for required services, the

citizens give an average grade of 8.5. More than half of the citizens said they were

against the existence of unofficial payment, even though they would have to wait

longer for required services.

Women and citizens older than 55 in higher percentage express their readiness to wait

longer for required services because they prefer not to have a system of unofficial

payments.

2

1

2

2

6

4

8

12

10

53

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

I prefer an unofficial payment system because itenables me to obtain required services promptly

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

I prefer not to have a system of unofficial payments, even though I’ll have to wait longer for required

services


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Chart 4 (Q4). What is your preferable method to solve your problems in dealings with

authorities?

Almost half of the citizens state that when they have addressed officially to the relevant

authorities, they were not using assistance from their acquaintances and were not

giving any gifts, but apply officially to the relevant authority. However, 2 out of 10

citizens state that after addressing officially the relevant authorities, they start looking

for appropriate acquaintances to make use of their assistance or they give a thank-

you gift to the involved official in order to ensure a prompt and favorable solution of

their problem. When they have to solve a specific problem, 10% of the citizens state

they immediately start looking for appropriate acquaintances or they coordinate their

further actions with an appropriate official from the institution.

22% of the citizens stated they had no such need so far and did not know how to

answer this question.

22

10

21

47

0 20 40 60

Do not know, I have not had this kind of need

I start looking for appropriate acquaintances or Icoordinate my further actions with an appropriate

official and follow their instructions to get theproblem solved

I apply officially to the relevant authority and thenI begin looking for appropriate acquaintances to

make use of their assistance or I give a thank-yougift to the involved official in order to ensure aprompt and favourable solution of my problem

I apply officially to the relevant authority withoutrequesting any assistance from my acquaintances

and without giving any gifts

%


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Chart 5 (Q17). According to your ethical standards, corruption is:?

Three quarters of the citizens (74%) assess the corruption as completely or somewhat

unethical. On the other hand, 12% of the citizens think that the question on corruption is

connected to law and not to ethics. Compared to the other levels of education, this answer is

more frequently expressed by the citizens with higher education (18%).

10% of the citizens did not how to answer this question.

Chart 6 (Q18). If you are a religious person would you consider corruption a sin?

According to three quarters of the citizens (75%), the corruption is a sin. For 1 in 10 citizens

the corruption is not a sin. 7% of the citizens stated they were not religious.

10

12

1

2

3

14

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Hard to tell

It is a matter of law and not ethics

Ethical

Rather ethical

Neutral

Rather unethical

Unethical

1

7

9

3

6

25

50

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Refuse to answer

I am not religious

I do not know

Definitely not

Rather not

Rather yes

Yes definitely


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Chart 7 (Q19). What could prompt you to become involved in combating corrupt practices?

The certainty that courts of law are independent would be motivator for most of the citizens

(22%) to take part in combatting corrupt practices. For an equal percentage of citizens (14%)

factors for involvement in combatting corrupt practices would be: awareness of the rights and

obligations of public officials in their actions and certainty that the citizen would be secure from

any actions of the official on whom the citizen reported.

17% of the citizens were not able to determine what could prompt them to become involved

in combating corrupt practices.

17

10

12

12

14

14

22

0 5 10 15 20 25

Do not know, no answer

Awareness of appropriate places and methods tonotify corrupt practices

Certainty that sanctions applied to the officialwould outweigh the damage caused-the bribe

Certainty that personal wealth gained throughcorrupt practices would be confiscated

Awareness of the rights and obligations of publicofficials in dealings with me

Certainty I will be secure from any actions of “the official on whom I reported"

Certainty that courts of law are independent inMacedonia


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Chart 8 (Q20). How strongly have you been exposed to information on combating corruption

during the last 12 months...?

The analysis of the received data show that the citizens were more exposed to news

regarding criminal cases involving corrupt practices rather than information campaigns

concerning integrity and combating corruption. While one third of the citizens (34%)

were strongly or very strongly exposed to news, 16% of the citizens were strongly or

very strongly exposed to information campaigns.

Chart 9 (Q21). Have you gone through any training or course on ethics and integrity in dealings

with authorities and public sector?

Only 12% of the citizens stated they had gone through a certain training or course on ethics

and integrity in dealings with authorities and public sector. The other 88% of the citizens gave

a negative answer to this question.

EMPLOYED CITIZENS

The following set of questions refers to citizens with active working status only i.e.

these questions were answered by respondents employed in public or private sector,

8

24

19

24

37

32

22

12

12

4

2

3

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

News regarding criminal casesinvolving corrupt practices

Information campaigns concerningintegrity and combating of corruption

Not at all

Slightly

Somewhat

Strongly

Very strongly

Do not know

12

88

Yes

No


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those who are business owners or have a part-time job. This set of questions was

answered by 504 respondents in total.

Chart 10 (Q5_1). Imagine the situation that your colleague from work accepts bribes or gifts in

a relation with professional responsibilities, how would you asses this behavior?

Research data shows high 73% of the employed citizens who assess accepting bribe

or gifts by a colleague in a relation with professional responsibilities as incorrect and

unacceptable. 11% of the citizens consider this behavior as incorrect but acceptable,

while only 2% of the respondents consider this behavior as acceptable-normal. 13%

of the citizens have indifferent attitude in terms of this question and believe it’s none

of your business.

Women, men and citizens with higher education in higher percentage express that

accepting bribes or gifts by a colleague in a relation to professional responsibilities is

incorrect and unacceptable.

13

2

11

73

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Indifferent, none of my business

Acceptable-normal

Incorrect but acceptable, normal

Incorrect and unacceptable

%


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Chart 11 (Q5_2). Would you inform your superiors that your colleague accepts bribes or gifts in

a relation with professional responsibilities?

The analysis of the received answers shows that 4 out of 10 citizens would inform their

superiors that their colleague accepts bribes or gifts in a relation with professional

responsibilities, although 73% think this behavior is incorrect and unacceptable.

Almost one third of the citizens said they would not do the same, while 13% of the

citizens did not know how to answer this question.

The frequency of the received answers shows that 14% or 69 citizens said that

whether they would report their colleague or not depended on certain specific factors.

For the majority of these citizens, the act of reporting depends on the situation in which

their colleague accepted bribe, the relation and friendship with that colleague, as well

as the seriousness and the amount of the bribe.

41

32

14

13

Yes

No

It depends

I do not know

%


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Chart 12 (Q5_2a). It depends on ….

An interesting fact is that although women and ethnic Macedonians in higher

percentage assess this behavior as incorrect and unacceptable, a lower percentage

of them compared to other demographic groups state they are ready to inform their

superiors that their colleague accepts bribes or gifts in a relation with professional

responsibilities.

12

25

4

7

9

13

30

0 10 20 30 40

I do not know, I have never been in suchsituation

Other

On the company codex and the superior

On the type of relationship that the colleaguehas with the superior

On the severity and type of the bribe

On the type of relationship I have with thatcolleague

On the problem, the situation

%


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Chart 13 (Q6_1). Your colleague from work does not fulfill his official duties, thereby creating a

threat to the safety of other employees, how would you asses this behavior?

A high percentage of 88% of the employed citizens would assess as incorrect and

unacceptable the behavior of their colleague from work who does not fulfill his/her

official duties, thereby creating a threat to the safety of other employees.

Employed women in higher percentage (91%) asses this behavior as unacceptable

compared to employed men (85%) who share their opinion.

Chart 14 (Q6_2). Would you inform your superiors that your colleague does not fulfill his official

duties, thereby creating a threat to the safety of other employees?

The frequency of received answers shows that 6 out of 10 employed citizens (59%)

said they would inform their superiors that their colleague did not fulfill his/her official

duties, thereby creating a threat to the safety of other employees. 15% stated they

would not do that, while 13% did not have an opinion regarding this question. 12% of

the employed citizens said reporting their colleague to the superiors depended on the

seriousness of the mistake and the level of threatening the safety.

6

1

5

88

0 20 40 60 80 100

Indifferent, none of my business, I do not care

Acceptable, normal



59

16

12

13

Yes

No

It depends

I do not know

%

%


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Chart 15 (Q6_2a). Can you specify?

Although 91% of the employed women consider the behavior of their colleague who

does not fulfill his official duties, thereby creating a threat to the safety of other

employees as incorrect and unacceptable, only 57% of the employed women would

inform their superiors about this.

5

10

8

8

10

11

48

0 20 40 60

Do not know

Other

On the type of relationship I have with thatcolleague

On the company codex and the employeeprotection

On the type of relationship that the colleaguehas with the superior

I will personally warn and reprimand him

On the seriousness of the mistake and thedanger to safety

%


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Chart 16 (Q7_1). Your colleague from work fuels his personal car at the expense on the company,

how would you asses this behaviour?

Reseach data shows that 74% of the employed citizens think it is incorrect and

unacceptable when a colleague from work fuels his/her personal car at the expense

on the institution / company. About one fifth of the citizens are indifferent in terms of

this question and think it is non of their business.

Chart 17 (Q7_2). Would you inform your superiors that your colleague fuels his personal car at

the expense on the company?

The analysis of the received answers shows that 4 out of 10 employed citizens would

inform their superiors regarding the stated behaviour of their colleague. About one

third of the citizens (31%) stated they would not do that, while 17% did not know how

to answer this question.

About 9% of the employed citizens stated their reaction depened on the situation and

the reasons why their colleague did that above all. Smaller part of the interviewed

citizens stated they would lecture their colleague personally, or they said the reporting

19.2

.2

1.2

5.6

73.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Indifferent, none of my business,I do not care

Correct

Acceptable, normal



43

31

9

17Yes

No

It depends

I do not know


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depended on the relation and the level of friendship with the colleague with his

superior.

Chart 18 (Q7_2a). Can you specify?

Chart 19 (Q8_1). Your colleague from work has symptoms of COVID-19, but he or she does not

tell anyone and works normally - thereby creating a threat to the safety of other employees and

to public safety and health, how would you asses this behavior?

Most of the employeed citizens (92%), consider it is incorrect and unacceptable to

have symptoms of COVID-19 and not to tell anyone, thereby creating a threat to the

safety of other employees and to public safety.

20

16

4

4

7

9

16

24

0 10 20 30

I do not know

Other

It depends on the type of relationship I have withthat colleague

It depends on how often he repeats the act

It depends on the consequences

It depends on the type of relationship that thecolleague has with the superior

I will personally warn and reprimand him

It depends on the situation and the reasons whyhe did it

3

1

1

4

92

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Indifferent, none of my business,I do not care

Correct

Acceptable, normal




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Chart 20 (Q8_2). ‘Would you inform your superiors that your colleague from work has symptoms

of COVID-19, but he or she does not tell anyone?

A total percentage of 77% of the employed citizens stated they would report their

colleague who had syptoms of COVID-19, but did not report and continued working,

which caused threats for the safety of other employees. 11% stated they would not

report this colleague, while 8% did not know how to answer this question.

The ethnic Macedonians and those from other smaller ethnic communities, as well as

the citizens with higher education, in higher percentage answered they would report

their colleague who has symptoms of COVID-19, but that person did not tell anyone

and continued working.

Chart 21 (Q8_3). If you would not inform your superiors, how would you react?

77

11

48

Yes

No

It depends

I do not know

15

10

18

23

34

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

None of the above

I would stay away from him or her but saynothing

I would shout at him as he puts my health at risk

I would worn colleagues around so that they becareful

I would tell this colleague in private to go homebefore anyone notices his condition


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If they would not inform their superiors, one third of the citizens (34%) would tell this

colleague in private to go home before anyone notices his condition, almost one

quarter (23%) would worn colleagues around so that they be careful, 18% would shout

at him/her as he/she puts their health at risk, while 10% stated they would stay away

from him/her, but would say nothing.

Chart 22 (Q9). If you believed/observed that accepting bribes and gifts is a widespread and

tolerated practice in your organization/institution/company, would you:

Almost 9 out of 10 employed citizens (88%) of the citizens stated they would definitely or

probably not accept a bribe or a gift although they had noticed that accepting bribes and gifts

was a widespread and tolerated practice in their instituton or a company.

Furthermore, 91% of the employed citizens stated they would definitely or rather not ask for a

bribe or a gift.

74

65

17

23

2

41

6

8

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Would you consider requiring a bribeor a gift from the other party?

Would you consider accepting a bribeor a gift if offered to you?

Definitely not Rather not Why not Definitely yes I do not know


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Chart 23 (Q10). If you believed that accepting careless and-or insufficient execution of

professional obligations is a widespread and tolerated practice in your organization, even if it

creates a threat to the safety of other employees would you consider neglecting your duties

like everybody else:

A high 86% of the citizens stated they would definitely or rather not neglect their duties like

the rest of their colleagues in the organization where they had noticed that careless and-or

insufficient execution of professional obligations was a widespread and tolerated practice,

even if it created a threat to the safety of other employees.

11

.4

3

20

66

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

I do not know

Definitely yes

Why not

Rather not

Definitely not


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Chart 24 (Q11). How would you assess your colleague from work who…?

Research data shows that the highest percentage of citizens would support the colleagues’

behavior who informed the superiors about the fact that another colleague has symptoms of

COVID-19, but does not tell anyone and continues working normally (70%), as well as about

the colleague who is mobbing another colleague (65%). The employed citizens show the

highest tollerance for colleagues who use fake sick leave and colleagues who fuel their

58

70

57

54

40

65

56

47

23

22

22

26

28

22

23

26

16

8

16

16

26

11

13

19

3

1

5

4

6

2

8

8

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Who informed the superior about thefact that another colleague does notfulfil his or her official duties, therebycreating a threat to the safety of other

employees

Who informed the superior about thefact that another colleague has

symptoms of COVID-19, but he doesnot tell anyone

Who informed the superior about thefact that another colleague accepts

bribes

Who informed the superior thatanother colleague who is a driver,

drives a company car drunk

Who informed the superior thatanother colleague uses fake sick

leaves

Who informed the superior thatanother colleague is mobbing

another colleague

Who informed the superior thatanother colleague participates in

setting up tenders

Who informed the superior thatanother colleague fuels his or herpersonal car at the expense of the

company

He did right He did wrong It depends Refuse to answer


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personal cars at the expense of the company. Namely, the percentage for support reporting a

colleague to the superiors for this kind of a behavior is lower.

Chart 25 (Q12). How would you assess your colleague from work, who...?

The frequency of received answers shows that almost two thirds of the citizens (64%) would

support their colleague’s behavior who informs the law enforcement or prosecutor that at the

company employees are mobbed. More than half of the citizens think that it is a right thing to

do when a colleague informs the law enforcement that at the company sewerage is discarched

illegaly to a river or lake (60%), that at the company safety and health standards are not

followed, thereby creating a threat to the health and lives of employees (59%), that at the

company people are employed illegaly (57%) and that the company financial irregularities or

false bookkeeping takes place (54%).

59

47

54

36

64

57

60

25

26

25

32

22

22

21

12

19

14

25

12

16

13

4

9

7

7

3

6

6

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Who informed the law enforcement orprosecutor that at the company safetyand health standards are not followedthereby creating a threat to the health

and lives of employees

Who informed the law enforcement or prosecutor that at the company bribes

are commonly accepted from other companies or institutions’

Who informed the law enforcement or prosecutor that at the company financial irregularities or false bookkeeping takes

place’

Who informed the law enforcement orprosecutor that at the company fake sick

leaves are used

Who informed the law enforcement orprosecutor that at the company

employees are mobbed

Who informed the law enforcement orprosecutor that at the company people

are employed illegally (grey or blackemployment)

Who informed the law enforcement orprosecutor that at the company sewageis discharged illegally to a river or lake

He did right He did wrong It depends Refuse to answer


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Again, the highest tollerance of the employed citizens is about using fake sick leave, i.e. the

lowest percentage (36%) of them stated that a colleague who informed the relevant bodies for

this behavior of the employees in the company did the right thing.

A higher percentage of the ethnic Albanians think people who inform the prosecutor or another

relevant body about their colleagues’ behavior did wrong.

Chart 26 (Q13). How do you think most of your colleagues would react if they learnt that one of

the colleagues informed the superiors that another colleague gives or accepts bribes?

The research data shows that the employed citizens do not express significant readiness to

support and encourage their colleague’s behavior who would inform their superior that another

colleague gives or receives a bribe. The frequency of the received answers shows a lower

percentage of the citizens who think that the colleagues in the company would express respect

(8%) or they would tell this colleague openly he did the right thing (6%).

The percentage of the citizens who stated that other colleagues would openly criticize him/her

is a little bit higher (18%) or that they would show dislike for him/her by not greeting him/her,

although no one would criticize him/her directly (11%).

Around 15% of the citizens said the attitude of the other colleagues towards this colleague

would not change.

One third of the citizens (33%) said it was difficult to define their attitude in terms of this

question.

3

6

6

8

11

15

18

33

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Refuse to answer

Another reaction

They would say openly you did the right thing

They would show tacit acceptance, show respect

They would show dislike for him/her, e.g. they wouldnot answer "good morning", they did not shake hands,

although no one would criticize him/her directly

They treat him as before, nothing would change

They would openly criticize him, make malicious tricks

Hard to tell


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Chart 27 (Q14). How do you think the company’s management would most probably react if an

employee, reported that another employee gives or accepts bribes?

According to the frequency of received answers, a low percentage of the citizens believes the

company would praise or reward the employee who reported to the company’s management

that another employee gives or accepts bribes (8%). More than a quarter of the citizens (27%)

believes that the company’s management wold acknowledge the fact without any positive or

negative consequences for their colleague.

Still, 14% of the citizens believe it is possible the colleague to have negative consequences,

in terms of mobbing, making his/her work difficult or causing other problems to him/her done

by the management, while 10% think the colleague would get fired.

For more than a third of the citizens (34%) it was difficult to define their opinion in terms of this

question.

7

8

10

14

27

34

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Another reaction, none of the above

They would praise or reward him

They would fire him

They would not punish him, but they would mob him,make his work difficult or cause other problems to him

They would acknowledge the fact without any positiveor negative consequences for him

Hard to tell


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Chart 28 (Q15). How do you think the company’s management WOULD most probably react if

an employee, reported irregularities at the company to external services (prosecutor, law

enforcement, anti-corruption authorities)?

The research data shows that most of the citizens believe there would be negative

consequences for the employee who would report irregularties in the company to external

services, such as prosecution, law enforcement or other anti-corruption authorities.

In that direction, one quarter of the citizens (25%) believes this employee would be fired, 18%

believe this employee would not be punished formally, but he/she would be mobbed, his/her

work would be made difficult, while 9% believe this employee would be formally reprimanded

or punished financially.

10% of the citizens think the employee would not be praised or rewarded, but the management

would use his knowledge and experience to reduce the risk of irregularities, while 6% of the

citizens think the company’s management would acknowledge the fact without any positive or

negative consequences for the employee.

More than a quarter of the employees stated it was difficult for them to answer this question.

1

4

6

9

10

18

25

28

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

They would praise or reward him

Another reaction, none of the above

They would acknowledge the fact without any positiveor negative consequences for him

They would formally reprimand him or punish himfinancially

He would not be praised or rewarded, but themanagement would use his knowledge and experience

to reduce the risk of irregularities

They would not punish him formally, but they wouldmob him, make his work difficult or cause other

problems to him

They would fire him

Hard to tell


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30

Chart 29 (Q16). How do you think should react ...?

Most of the citizens think the organization / institution management should be informed in

every of the following 4 cases: when a doctor in a hospital repeatedly commits medical errors

(70%), when a teacher molests students (67%), when a nursing home staff mistreats the

residents (64%) and when an inspector accepts invitations to expensive restaurants from tax-

payers (53%).

However, almost one third most of the citizens (31%) think that it is better for a tax-inspectorate

worker who knows that another inspector accepts invitations to expensive invitations from tax-

payers to report that inspector to the law enforcement or prosecutor, or to another relevant

service compared to the violation done by the employees in the other mentioned institutions.

70

67

64

53

15

21

25

31

6

5

4

6

9

7

6

10

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

A doctor who knows thatanother doctor in the hospitalrepeatedly commits medical

errors

A teacher who knows thatanother teacher in the schools

molests students

A nursing home worker whoknows staff are mistreating

residents

A tax-inspectorate worker whoknows that another inspector

accepts invitations toexpensive restaurants from

tax-payers

Should report to the management

Should report to prosecutors office or another relevant service

Should not report to anyone – it is not a competence of individual employees to report

Hard to tell, refuse to answer


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31

Chart 30 (Q22). Does the institution or company where you work have a code of ethics?

More than two thirds of the employed citizens (68%) state that the company / institutuon where

they work has a code of ethics, while 14% gave a negative answer.

18% of the employed citizens state they do not know whether their company / institution where

they work has a code of ethics.

68

14

18

Yes

No



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32

BUSINESS OWNERS OR PRIVATE COMPANIES MANAGERS

The following set of questions applies only to citizens who have their own business or a

managerial position in the private company where they work. Only 38 respondents reply this

set of questions, so due to the low statistical mass, the percentages should be taken only as

indicators.

Chart 31 (Q23). On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 = non problem at all, and 10 = major problem,

rank the following problem your business is facing with?

The analysis of the received average grades shows that the citizens assess all problems they

face with in their business with an average grade from 4 to 6. The following emerge as top 5

major problems they face with in their business: Selective application of laws and regulations

(average grade 6.5), Bureaucracy (average grade 6.1), Corruption in courts (average grade

6), Innefective and deficient laws and regulations (average grade 6) and Frequent changes in

laws and regulations (5.9). On the other hand, they assessed the following as the smallest

problems they are faced with: Low accessibility of loan funding and credits (average grade

4.3), Corruption in the customs (average grade 4.4), Frequent audits and inspections

conducted by authorities (average grade 4.8), Corruption in tax authorities (average grade

4.9) and Low demand for their products or services locally (average grade 5.1).

4.3

4.4

4.8

4.9

5.1

5.1

5.2

5.2

5.3

5.3

5.6

5.7

5.9

6.0

6.0

6.1

6.5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Low accessibility of loan funding and credits

Corruption in the customs

Audits and inspections conducted by authorities are toofrequent

Corruption in tax authorities

Low demand for my products or services locally

Problems associated with registration and obtaining oflicenses, authorisations

Corruption in authorities supervising product or service quality

Fraud and corruption in public procurements and privatizationof state property

Incompetence of public officials in dealings with companies

Corruption in the inspection services (market, construction,labor, sanitary)

Heavy tax burden (taxes, mandatory charges and duties aretoo high)

Unfair competition

Frequent changes in laws and regulations

Ineffective and deficient laws and regulations

Corruption in courts

Bureaucracy

Selective application of laws and regulations


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Chart 32 (Q24). How strongly are your business operations affected by political interests?

Almost two thirds of the citizens (63%) stated their business operations were not affected by

political interests at all, while 18% stated they were slightly affected. Only 3% of the citizens

stated their business operations were very strongly affected, while 8% indicated they are

considerably affected by political interests. 8% did not answer this question.

Chart 33 (Q25). In which of the situations described below does your business face corrupt

practices most often while dealing with authorities?

The analysis of the received answers shows that the citizens most frequently mention the

following situations in which their business most often faces corrupt practices while dealing

with authorities: while applying for a license/authorization (29%), during an audit or inspection

8

3

8

18

63

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70


Very strongly affected

Considerably affected

Slightly affected

Not at all

5

13

34

11

13

16

21

24

29

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40


Other

We have not faced any corrupt practices

While declaring/control of goods at the customs

While applying for a bank loan

While declaring/control of goods at the customs

While registering a business and during the start-upstage

During an audit or inspection conducted by acompetent authority

While applying for a license/authorization


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34

conducted by a competent authority (24%) and while registering a business and during the

start-up stage.

One third of the citizens (34%) stated they had not been faced with any corruptive practices

in their business.

Chart 34 (Q26). Do the following solutions contribute to combating corruption in dealings of a

business with authorities?

According to the frequency of the received answers, half of the citizens (50%) point at

application of sanctions by superiors for misuses, infringements committed by public officials

as a solution in combating corruption in dealings of a business with authorities. Less than half

of the citizens pointed at the following solutions: Lesser fee charges for public services (45%),

Simplified procedures for certification and obtaining of authorizations for businesses (45%)

and Application of sanctions to corrupt public officials (45%). Higher salaries to public officials

is pointed by the lowest percentage of citizens (21%) as a solution for combating corruption in

dealings of a business with authorities.

39

45

50

45

37

34

42

45

39

21

47

34

29

34

42

45

37

37

39

39

5

13

8

13

11

11

8

13

11

26

8

8

13

8

11

11

13

5

11

13

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Measures to improve laws and regulations

Application of sanctions to corrupt public officials

Application by superiors of sanctions formisuses,infringements committed by public officials

Simplified procedures for certification and obtaining ofauthorizations for businesses

Promotion of ethics and integrity in private sector

Measures to improve ethics and integrity in public institutions

Application of sanctions to businesses for giving bribes

Lesser fees charged for public services

Single point of contact for issuance of licenses andcertificates

Higher salaries to public officials

Yes In some respects No Do not know, no answer


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PUBLIC OFFICIALS

The following set of questions address only the citizens who are public officials. A total number

of 170 interviewed citizens provide answers to this set of questions.

Chart 35 (Q27).To what extent are the following promotion criteria applied within your institution:

According to the Law of Administration Officials, the promotion procedures start with

publishing an intern advertisement, after which in a transparent, fair and competitive selection

procedure the best candidate is selected from among the employees in the institution and he

/ she moves to a higher position.

The promotion procedure aims to enable the administrative officials’ carrier promotion,

followed by respecting the policy for adequate and equal representation.

The data from the conducted research show that different criteria are implemented for

promotion, some of which are legally unacceptable.

While more than one third of the employees (35%) in the public sector state that

professionalism, integrity and merit of the candidate are always or often criteria for promotion,

over 60% of them think that one important promotion criterion, such as the professionalism,

integrity and merit of the candidate is never or it is very rarely applied (14% never; 47% very

rarely).

The working experience, which is also a very important criterion for the public official to be

promoted, is considered by 43% as always or often criterion for promotion. However, over half

of the employees in the public sector state it is never or very rarely applied (9% never; 42%

very rarely).

6 out of 10 respondents mention the relationships with the bosses as a possible criterion for

getting promoted (44% often, 16% always), while one third of the public officials state that the

14

9

12

11

11

18

47

42

20

11

19

20

24

31

44

34

47

26

11

12

16

35

10

4

4

6

8

9

13

32

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Professionalism, integrity, merit

Working experience,seniority

Relationships with the rightpeople (for example with bosses)

Affiliation to a particular politicalparty

Personal favours,services to bepromoted

Unofficial payments to bepromoted (bribery)

Never

Rarely, very rarely

Often,very often

Always

Do not know, noanswer


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36

acquaintance with the bosses and their good relationship do not present a criterion making

the promotion easier (12% never; 20% very rarely).

Over two thirds of the interviewed citizens working in the public sector (69%) officials think that

the affiliation to a particular political party is frequently applied criterion for the employees to

get a promotion (34% often; 35% always).

The application of this criterion is mostly mentioned when compared to all other offered criteria.

The personal favors are underlined as an applicable criterion when getting a promotion for

over half of the public officials (47% often; 10% always).

The presence of corruptive activities in state administration is not legally allowed. Still, 30% of

the respondents say that bribe is very often (26%) or always (4%) applied criterion for the

public officials to get promoted. One third of the employees in the public sector said they were

not able to answer this question (32%).

Chart 36 (Q28). Are these criteria applied equally to men and women in your institution?

It is noticed that the application of mentioned criteria for getting a promotion mostly refer

equally both to men and women.

The working experience of the employee is underlined as a criterion with the highest

percentage of answers, which indicates that it is equally present among men and women

(75%).

Over half of the public officials (56%) stated that bribe as a criterion for getting a promotion is

also equally present among men and women, but about one third of the respondents said they

were not able to provide answer when taking this criterion into consideration.

72

75

71

73

65

56

7

4

6

4

6

5

6

4

6

2

5

4

15

17

16

21

24

35

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Professionalism, integrity, merit

Working experience

Relationships with the rightpeople (for example with

bosses)

Affiliation to a particular politicalparty

Personal favours or services tobe promoted

Unofficial payments to bepromoted (bribery)

Equally This criterion applies more often to women

This criterion applies more often to men Do not know, no answer


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Chart 37 (Q29). Is there a structure, a person responsible for your ethics in your institution?

Over one third of the citizens (36%) who are employed in the public sector state that within

their institution, there is a person responsible for ethics and integrity. About 43% think there is

no such responsible person in the institution, while one fifth are completely uninformed

whether there is a person responsible for ethics in the institution where they work (21%).

The respondents who said there was a person responsible for ethics in their institution give

an average grade of 6 for their satisfaction from the activities of that person.

36

43

21

Yes

No

Do not know


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Chart 38 (Q30). To you, employment in public sector is…

Employment in public sector is considered to be a job like any other for most of the

respondents (59%). Employment in public sector as a service to the society comes as a

second answer (33%), while a convenient job from 8.00 to 16.00 is identified as a third answer

(32%).

The respondents were able to choose up to 3 answers when answering this question.

2

2

4

6

12

12

17

21

32

33

59

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

None of the above/other

A waste of time

A place for people not fit for any other job

An interim job before finding a good offer from privatesector

A source of prestige and respect

A good way to make connections that can profit in thefuture

A good career start to get the necessary experience

A lifetime career

A convenient job from 8.00 to 16.00

A service to the society

A job like any other


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39

Chart 39 (Q31). What is your main motivation to work in public sector?

The main motivation identified by the respondents to work in public sector is job stability (48%).

What comes next is that the public officials want to do something for their country and society

(32%), while the third most frequent answer is money as monthly financial payment to the

public official (25%).

Again, the respondents were able to choose up to 3 answers when answering this question.

4

5

12

13

17

19

21

22

25

32

48

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Hard to tell

It offers good record for my CV

I believe in the ideals and want to change my country

It is easy to reconcile with family obligations

I can meet useful /well connected people

I feel respected/proud

Career prospects

This job fits my skills and temper

Money

I want to do something for my country and society

Job stability


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Chart 40 (Q32). What is you main demotivator or an element that you would like to see improved?

The salary is the main demotivation regarding the work in the public sector i.e. an element that

respondents would like to see improved. The public official has a right to receive a salary and

benefits which refer to the salary under conditions and criteria appointed by the law which is

supplied from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The corruption is secondly ranked (including nepotism and unethical environment) and

indicated by 22% of the citizens working in the public, while the high level of bureaucracy

present in the public sector is underlined by an identical percentage of public servants (22%).

7

9

2

2

5

5

7

8

9

10

14

14

15

22

22

45

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Nothing

Hard to tell

Too much overtime work

Feeling of wasting my time

Lack of clear aim/sense of what I do

I do not use my competencies/experience

Lack of clear goal (vision) of what the institution isthere for

Lack of social respect/prestige

Lack of respect/recognition by my superiors

Poor management

Insufficient independence

Irregularities that are tolerated and that affect publicmoney

Unclear career prospects for those without family orpolitical connections

Too much bureaucracy

Corruption/nepotism/unethical environment

Salary


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41

KEY FINDINGS

For the majority, corruption is a negative phenomenon

High percentage of the citizens perceive corrupt activities as absolutely unacceptable.

Three quarters of the citizens assess corruption as completely or somewhat unethical.

More than half of the citizens stated they were completely against the existence of

unofficial payment system, even though they would have to wait longer for required

services.

According to three quarters of the citizens (75%), corruption is a sin.

However, almost one third of the citizens are ready to look for appropriate

acquaintances to make use of their assistance or they give a thank-you gift to the

involved official in order to ensure a prompt and favorable solution of their problem

immediately or after their official addressing to a certain relevant institution.

There is no high readiness for reporting the incorrect and unacceptable behavior of the

colleagues

Three quarters of the employed citizens think it is incorrect and unacceptable if a

colleague accepts bribe or gifts in a relation with professional responsibilities or if a

colleague fuels his/her personal car at the expense on the institution/company.

Significantly, lower percentage (about 40%) would inform their superiors about this

behavior.

When it comes to a threat to the safety of other employees, the citizens assess this

behavior of the employees much more strictly. Namely, 9 out of 10 employees assess

the colleague’s behavior who does not fulfill his official duties, thereby creating a threat

to the safety of other employees with COVID-19 symptoms, as incorrect and

unacceptable.

When it comes to supporting colleagues who inform the superiors for different incorrect

behavior, about half of the employed citizens think these people did the right thing. The

highest tolerance shown to the colleagues was expressed in terms of using fake sick

leave and to the colleagues who fuel their personal cars at the expense on the

company. Namely, they support reporting a colleague to the superior who behaves in

that manner less.

There is no expressed readiness among the employed citizens to support and

encourage the colleague’s behavior who informs the superior that another colleague

gives or accepts bribe.

More than half of the employed citizens (52%) believe there will be negative

consequences for the employee who would report irregularities in the company to

services outside that company, such as prosecutor, law enforcement or other bodies

for preventing corruption.

The political party is the most frequent criterion for getting a promotion in public

administration

Over two thirds of the interviewed public officials think that being part of a certain

political party is the most frequently applied criterion for the promotion of employees

(34% often; 35% always), the relation with the superiors is a criterion for 60%, while

personal favors are criterion for 57%.

The main motivation for working in the public sector is stability (48%), the desire to do

something for their country and society (32%) and money as monthly financial payment

to the public official (25%).


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42

The main demotivating element for working in public administration, i.e. the element

underlined as the one, which should be improved in future, is salary (45%), corruption,

including nepotism and unethical surrounding (22%) and the high level of bureaucracy

(22%).

Documents

Promoting Transparency and Accountability...EuropeAid/139891/DH/SER/MK ProTRACCO: Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration 6 RESPONDENTS’ DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE