Exploring the dynamics of corruption perceptions in sustained anti-corruption campaigns: a survey experiment in China

Evidence increasingly shows that anti-corruption investigations generate negative perceptions in the short run and lead to perceptions of reduced corruption in the long run. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of anti-corruption investigations on corruption perceptions within sustained anti-corruption campaigns. In certain nations, anti-corruption campaigns can be relentless. In such sustained campaigns, can fluctuations in the annual number of investigations affect corruption perceptions? This study aims to address the gap by conducting a survey experiment in China. The findings indicate that corruption perceptions are formed in an online evaluation fashion rather than a memory-based one. Individuals spontaneously form and revise their perceptions by integrating new information into their existing evaluations. Corruption perceptions are positively correlated with both the past trend in the annual number of investigations and recent investigations. Unexpected recent investigations can reverse people’s corruption perceptions that are based on past trends. These findings are applicable to other nations in which anti-corruption campaigns are sustained and anti-corruption information is publicly accessible.