Keywords
Perceived satisfaction
Bribery
Citizen perception
Anti-corruption policies
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the level of perceived satisfaction among individuals involved in a completed act of corruption, specifically bribery in public services in the state of Puebla, Mexico, and to identify associations between satisfaction and the monetary amount paid.
Method: A quantitative approach was adopted using 3,278 valid cases of bribery payments recorded in an official survey conducted by the Puebla State Anticorruption System (2023). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, including chi-square tests and simple correspondence analysis between categorical variables, particularly level of satisfaction and amount paid.
Results: Findings indicate that more than half of the individuals involved in bribery reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the outcomes obtained. A statistically significant association was found between the amount paid and perceived satisfaction (p < 0.001). Sociodemographic variables such as age, education, and income showed no significant correlation with satisfaction levels. Higher payments tended to generate higher expectations and, in some cases, lower perceived satisfaction.
Contributions: The study demonstrates that corruption may produce subjective perceptions of benefit among some participants, revealing both internal (direct experience) and external (general perception) dimensions of corruption. The findings contribute to theoretical debates on corruption tolerance and normalization and provide evidence to support the design of more effective anti-corruption public policies based on citizens’ perceptions and motivations.
References
Ahmed, M. Y., Abdullahi, A. M., & Hussein, H. A. (2025). The dual impact of corruption: how perceptions and experiences shape political participation in Somalia- empirical studyvi. Cogent Social Sciences, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2504130
Al Fayarn, M. A., & Shil, N. C. (2023). Governance as an Interplay between Corruption and Polity: Conceptualizing from a National Perspective. Economies, 11(2), 1-18.
Andriani, L., & Ashyrov, G. (2022). Corrupción y satisfacción con la vida: evidencia de una encuesta de transición. Kyklos, 511-535.
Boateng, A., Wang, Y., Ntim, C. G., & Elmagrhi, M. (2024). Institutions and corruption relationship: Evidence from African countries. Journal of International Management, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2024.101136
Bobbio, N., Matteucci, N., & Pasquino, G. (2000). Diccionario de la Política. Madrid: Siglo XXI Editores.
Bravo, A., Pozsgai-Alvarez, J., Janssens, J., Cevallos, H., Kumar, K., Eeckhout, M., & Vandeviver, C. (2025). Rethhinking Corruption Tolerance: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis and Typology-Based Model Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior. CrimRxiv, 1-39.
Camelo-Rincon, M. S. (2023). La corrupción desde la perspectiva de los sistemas complejos: Una revisión sistemática de la literatura. Cuktura Científica, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.38017/1657463X.821
Choque Coronel, E. F. (2025). Entre la normalización de la corrupción y la debilidad de la sanción: implicaciones penales en la responsabilidad de los servidores públicos en Bolivia (2015-2025). Sapiens La and Justice, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.71068/y9ejjd69
DeSouza, M., Swanzy, E. K., & Agyabeng, A. M. (2025). Beyond the victims: The mental well-being cost of systemic corruption on public sector workers in Ghana. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 231-251.
Eisler, J. (2022). Conceptualising Corruption and the Rule of Law. Modern Law Revie, 85(4), 1071-1092.
Falconi Freitas, F., Olaya García, J., Ugaz, J., & Esquivel Soto, Y. (2023). Victims of Corruption. Back for Payback. Washington, DC: Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative-The World Bank- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Fierro, P., Varriale, L., & Ferrara, M. (2024). Corrupt Behavior in Public Organizations: Ethics, Rationalization, and Socialization for an Integrated Reading. En K. H. Dogan, Corruption, Bribery, and Money Laundering Global Issues (pág. 156). Londres: IntechOpen.
Friedrich, C. J. (1961). La democracia como forma política y como forma de vida. Madrid: Tecnos.
González-Ramírez, M. F., & Monsivais-Carrillo, A. (2023). ¿Por qué la ciudadanía acepta pagar sobornos?. La tolerancia a la corrupción en América Latina. América Latina Hoy, 135-154. https://doi.org/10.14201/alh.28059
Han, J., & Chanwahn, K. (2025). Public sector corruption in South Asia: focusing on institutional factors with a two-step fsQCA. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04477-9
Hassan Danish, M., Naeem Nawaz, S., Fahad Javaid, S., & Khan, M. (2024). Relation between corruption, institutional trust, and subjective well-being: An empirical analysis. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd7825
Hernández Murillo, C. (2025). Corrupción Pública y Sociedad Civil. El caso del Sistema Estatal Anticorrupción de Baja California. Derecho Global. Estudios sobre Derecho y Justicia, 17-45. https://doi.org/10.32870/dgedj.v10i30.528
Holkar, S. (2022). Psychological Analysis of Corruption: A Review. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 10(3), 878-883.
Incio, J., & Seifert, M. (2024). How the Perception of Corruption Shapes the Willingness to Bribe: Evidence From An Online Experiment. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edae035
Jackson, D. (2025). Systemic Corruption as a Meso-Level Phenomenon: Severe Abuse and Strategic Gain. Public Integrity, 1-13.
Jaramillo Gabanzo, N. J. (2011). ¿Existe alguna relación entre la corrupción política y la democracia? Opera, 241-257. Obtenido de ¿Existe alguna relación entre la corrupción política y la democracia?
Jiazheng, M., Bin, G., & Yanghang, Y. (2022). Perception of official corruption, satsfaction with government performance, and subjetive wellbeing - An empirical study from China . Frontiers in Psychology, 1-9.
Jinwon, H., & Chanwahn, K. (2025). Public sector corruption in South Asia: focusing on institutional factors with a two-step fsQCA. Humanities & Social Sciencies Communications, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04477-9
Klitgaard, R. (2024). Policy Analysis for Big Issues: Confronting Corruption, Elitism, Inequality, and Despair. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publising. Obtenido de Teorías que explican la corrupción.
Lee, J., & Liu, C. (2022). Public Corruption and Government Management Capacity. Public Perfomance & Management Review, 397-427.
León, C. J., De León, J., & Araña, J. E. (2014). Relación entre corrupción y satisfacción. Revista de Economía Aplicada, 31-58.
Lessig, L. (2018). America Compromised. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Obtenido de Teorías que explican la corrupción.
Marquette, H., & Peiffer, C. (2015). Corrupción y acción colectiva. Programa de Liderazgo para el Desarrollo, Universidad de Birmingham, 1-22. Obtenido de Teorías que explican la corrupción.
Mitchell, D. M. (2024). On corrupt institutions. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 1-23.
Mkhize, N. (2025). Plans without action? Politics and institutional challenges of anti-corruption reforms in the BRICS countries . Journal of Economic Criminology, 1-12.
Orozco Menéndez, M. (2025). Deconstructing Corruption: From (Un)Fixed Definitions To Evolving Perspectives. Laws, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14060088
Orozco Menéndez, M. S. (2025). Desconstructing Corruption: From (Un)Fixed Definitions to Evolving Perspectives. Laws, 14(6), 1-21.
Pardo-Beneyto, G., & Abellán-López, M. (2025). Holistic institutional policies to combat corruption: an analitical-integrative proposal. Hal Open Science, 44-62. https:://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11477
Paredes Arias, G. D. (2018). La corrupción: Breve análisis de sus causas y efectos. Investigación en ciencias jurídicas y social, 199-213. Obtenido de La corrupción: breve análisis de sus causas y efectos.
Persson, A., Rothsten, B., & Teorell, J. (2013). Why Anticorruption reforms Fail-Sistemic Corruption as a Colletive Action Problem. Governance, 449-471. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2012.01604.x
Ponce-Díaz, C. R., Aiquipa, J. J., Pacheco-Luza, E. F., & Pezúa-Vásquez, R. L. (2024). Tests Assessing Corrupt Bahavior From a Psychological Perspective: A Systematic Review. European Journal Of Psychological Assessment, 15-27.
Ponce-Díaz, C. R., Alquipa-Tello, J. J., & Pacheco-Luza, E. F. (2025). Psychological insight into corruption: construction and validation of the Corrupt Intention Scale (CIS). Psicologia: Reflexäo e Critica , 1-13.
Salcedo-Albarán, E., Garay Salamanca , L. J., Sánches-Moreno, J. U., De Freitas, M., & Vanegas, S. (2021). Victims of Corruption Integral Reparation and Institutional Trust as Cores of Anticorruption Strategies. Vortex Working Paper, 1-18. Obtenido de https://ssrn.com/abstract=3898710
Sayfiddinovich, A. (2025). The social characteristics and scientific-methodological foundations of the concept of corruption. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies, 47-58. https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v3i1.3740
Shahbazov, I., Rahimli, J., & Afandiyev, Z. (2025). Victims of Corrupt Practices: Does Crime SeriousnessAffect Bribe Payer's Decision to Report? International Criminal Justice Review, 305-329. https://doi.org/10.1177/10575677241271102
Taylor , M. (2022). The Facade of Anti-Corruption: Instrumentalization in Latin America. Latin American Politics and Society, 64(2), 169-181.
Uhl, A., Herrmann, C., & Treiber, K. H. (2025). Corruption: A situational action view. Theory and Society, 161-184.
Wan Hashim, W., & Muhamad Hussain, M. (2024). The concept of Corruption: An Overview of the Past and Present Scenarios. Journal of Administrative Science, 21(1), 15-28.
Wang, Y., & Chen, H. (2023). The Paradox of Corrupt Gratification: hen Unethical Behavior Generates Subjetive Well-Being. Journal of Business Ethics, 587-605.
Zandi, S., Esmaeili, M., & Farahbakhsh, K. (2025). Victims of Corruption Suffer Personal and Collective Loss. Journal of Financial Crime, 397-416. https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373241234503
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Humberto Cantellano-Rodriguez, Mariano Velasco , Hidalia García, José Luis Carmona