Watchdog says people see increase in corruption

A new survey released today shows the public's faith in political parties has been sharply eroded during the financial crisis.

The 2010 Global Corruption Barometer by Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International showed that 79 percent of respondents in a global study believed parties were "corrupt or extremely corrupt".

The survey showed that six out of 10 people believed corruption had increased over the past three years.

Regional Director for Transparency International, Miklos Marschall, says that people also are more willing to report instances of corruption. "It's the other side of the same coin", he told Vatican Radio. "While [people] are more frustrated by corruption ... now they are more ready to do something against that."

"I think that is a dramatic change and that is maybe the most important news of our barometer this year."

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