The Impact of System,Culture and Communication on the Public’s Tolerance of Corruption:Based on the Investigation and Analysis of Residents in Henan Province

 

Yue Lei （Zhengzhou University）

 

Abstract:Anti-corruption requires not only the “state” effectively promoting from top to bottom, but also the “society” broad participation from bottom to top.The organic integration has great significance and practical value to the in-depth advance of anti-corruption.However,at the current research on anti-corruption in China,the issues of national level have been paid more and more attention by scholars,such as anti-corruption efforts,system design,discipline inspection and supervision system reform,while social issues are largely ignored,such as public values of corruption,corruption tolerance and anti-corruption social participation,especially lacking systematic empirical research of public corruption tolerance which was widespread concerned by western scholars.The successful anti-corruption experience in Singapore,Hong Kong and other incorruptible countries and regions shows that public tolerance of corruption determines the effectiveness of anti-corruption to a large extent.In view of this,this paper focuses on the impact of anti-corruption on the tolerance of public corruption from three aspects:formal system,cultural concept and information dissemination,and puts forward the idea that can deepen the anti-corruption into the social and cultural strategy.Through the survey of 1701 inhabitants in Henan Province,it is found that the public is generally aware that the problem of corruption is serious in China.However,the acceptance of corruption is at a high level while the willingness and enthusiasm to report corruption is not high.On this basis,this paper uses the quantitative research method to systematically examine the influencing factors of public corruption tolerance.The study finds that as China’s anti-corruption efforts continue to increase,the public tolerance of corruption has not been significantly reduced. Compared with the formal system,the values public formed in the social environment play a fundamental and decisive role to the corrupt behavior tolerance. Public experience in daily life is unconsciously influenced the public perception of corruption and its values,and significantly affect its tolerance of corruption. The corrupt information conveyed by the mass media has,to a large extent,affected the public’s corruption tolerance.The above research has great significance to the current practice of anti-corruption in China.First of all,we should make efforts to cultivate and form cultural atmosphere of zero tolerance to corruption in the whole society,and pay more attention to the public anti-corruption education and the public’s zero tolerance attitude towards corruption,therefore achieving the change from “dare not corrupt”,“can not corrupt” to “do not want to corrupt” for all members of society including public officials and the public.Second,we should reduce corruption experienced by the public in real life and pay more attention to the public bribery punishment efforts and the values cultivation that the public disdain corruption and advocate integrity in order to effectively reduce the public tolerance of corruption.Third,we should take the propaganda of anti-corruption as a way of education,and improve and optimize the methods and strategies of anti-corruption propaganda,effectively reducing public tolerance of corruption through active public opinion guidance.

 

Key words:corruption tolerance; formal system; cultural conception; media communication