Costa Rica

New survey experiment tests the 'corruption is self-fulfilling' theory. Respondents exposed to higher corruption prevalence estimates in Costa Rica reported increased willingness to engage in bribery themselves, validating a key hypothesis about societal perception driving individual action.

Sensitive survey techniques (SSTs) are widely used to measure taboo or stigmatized behaviors, but their use often produces highly variable prevalence estimates. Existing SST strategies also leave a crucial question unanswered: is the SST necessary in the first place for a given item?