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News release

Tunisians are concerned about smuggling and corruption, say government is handling them poorly, Afrobarometer study shows

30 Sep 2020 Tunisia
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Most Tunisians say smuggling and corruption are problems in the country, and very few think the government is doing a good job of resolving them, a new Afrobarometer study shows.

Citizens are more than twice as likely to say they prefer buying legal but expensive goods over cheaper smuggled goods. Although most Tunisians say it is wrong to work as a driver of smuggled goods, a significant proportion think it is “wrong but understandable” to buy smuggled goods.

The study also shows that large majorities of citizens perceive an increased level of corruption in the country and think the government is performing poorly in its fight against corruption. Citizens who have heard about the National Anti-corruption Agency (INLUUC) are divided in their assessments of its performance.

Dissatisfaction with widespread corruption in Tunisia was one of the main causes of the 2011 revolution. Since then, however, the country’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has worsened, from 59th out of 178 countries in 2010 to 74th out of 198 countries in 2019.