Abstract

The present study is part of a much larger study that examined the ethics of bribery and the ethics of tax evasion from a variety of perspectives. Data were taken from the most recent Wave of the World Values Survey. Data were collected in 56 countries. Participants were asked how risky is it to give or receive a bribe, where 1 = no risk at all and 10 = very high risk. Countries were then ranked. The countries where the rank was the lowest were Peru (1), Ukraine (2), Chile (3), Andorra (4), and New Zealand/Venezuela (tied for fifth place). The countries with the highest risk were Ethiopia (56), Jordan (55), Puerto Rico (54), Iraq (53), and Egypt (52). In the aggregate, male and female mean scores did not differ significantly. Females felt significantly more comfortable giving or receiving bribes in two countries: Greece and Mongolia. Men felt significantly more comfortable giving or receiving a bribe in five countries – Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the United States, and Zimbabwe.