Students’ Perceptions toward Corruption: Malaysian Evidence

Abstract

Corruption devastates society and the country, stifling economic growth and increasing poverty. As the nation's hope, university students play a vital role in the fight against corruption. However, prior studies on the perceptions of students against corruption especially in the Malaysian context are very limited. Thus, this study aims to investigate perceptions toward corruption among students of higher education institutions in Malaysia. Using questionnaire survey of 115 undergraduate program students, the findings indicate that most of them aware of corruption especially on the legal impact of the corruption activities. However, the results reveal that most of students recognize a corrupt act when such activities involve a considerable sum of money or expenditures. Receiving amusement fees, gifts, and kickbacks to increase transaction efficiency are still acceptable. Findings of this study shed light to policymakers and university administrators who have a keen interest in mitigating corruption in higher education institutions.