And Improved Trust In Some Institutions
More Liberians say the government is performing well in its fight against corruption, and public trust in some key institutions has seen modest gains, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
While majorities continue to see most police officials, members of Parliament, senators, and judges as corrupt, fewer citizens now believe that corruption is increasing. At the same time, more people say they can report corruption without fear of retaliation.
Key findings
- The share of citizens who say that corruption in Liberia increased during the past year dropped by more than half, from 76% in 2022 to 34% in 2024. Almost three in 10 (28%) say corruption decreased, more than four times as many as in 2022 (6%) (Figure 1).
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of Liberians say “most” or “all” police officials are corrupt. Majorities also see widespread corruption among members of Parliament (59%), senators (57%), and judges and magistrates (52%) (Figure 2).
- The proportion of Liberians who say that people can report corruption without fear of retaliation increased by 9 percentage points compared to 2022, from 27% to 36%, though a majority (63%) still think people risk negative consequences if they speak up (Figure 3).
- More than half (54%) of Liberians say the government is doing “fairly well” or “very well” at fighting corruption, a 43-percentage-point increase compared to 2022 (11%) (Figure 4).
- Trust in several key state institutions/officials saw marginal improvement compared to 2022. Among key public institutions, citizens say they trust the Armed Forces of Liberia (57%), the president (46%, a 9-percentage-point increase compared to 2022), and the Ministry of Health (44%) “somewhat” or “a lot” (Figure 5).
Afrobarometer surveys
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 were launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Liberia, led by the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult citizens between 30 July and 21 August 2024. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Liberia in 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022.
