Abstract
This article used the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS2018) data to systematically examine the impact of Internet access on corruption perceptions and its mechanisms. After controlling for a series of variables such as demographic characteristics and cultural and psychological factors, this study found that there is a significant correlation between Internet access and individuals’ perception of corruption, which could be attributed to the characteristics of the Internet and the individuals’ “negativity bias effect”. In addition, a mechanism analysis found that both political trust and relative deprivation played an incomplete intermediary role between Internet use and the perception of corruption and between Internet use time and the perception of corruption, which is consistent with the explanations of a “negativity bias effect”, a “halo effect” and “self-serving attribution bias”. The moderating role of authoritative value orientation between Internet access and the perception of corruption was not obvious.
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Notes
For example, two databases that are widely used to measure corruption, namely, the Transparency International Corruption Index and World Bank Governance Indicators, are both largely based on the subjective perception of corruption.
Research shows that the personal experience with corruption is a significant factor that influences the perception of corruption after controlling for other variables (Zhu et al., 2013).
According to a report from the China Internet Network Information Center, as of December 2018, the number of Internet users in China was 829 million, and the Internet penetration rate reached 59.6%, which was up 37% compared with 2008.
Obedience to traditional authority, such as traditional customs and traditional values, is also an important feature of authoritative value orientation (Deyong, 2009).
This column reproduced Column (2) in Table 2.
This column reproduced Column (3) in Table 2.
Considering space constraints, there are no specific results reported here. Readers who are interested in specific analysis results can contact the author.
We would like to thank the anonymous reviewer for reminding us to distinguish between corruption information on the Internet and the use of the Internet to spread information, and their impact on perception of corruption. We also want to thank the reviewer for the helpful suggestions. However, the responsibility for the paper is ours.
This column reproduced Column (4) in Table 2, but the number of observations is slightly different due to missing values.
Considering space constraints, there are no specific results reported here. Readers who are interested in specific analysis results can contact the author.
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Acknowledgements
The data are from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), funded by 985 Program of Peking University and carried out by the Institute of Social Science Survey of Peking University.
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Yi, C., Hu, S. Does internet access increase the perception of corruption?. Crime Law Soc Change 77, 275–303 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-021-09987-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-021-09987-6