One in three people in Malta admitted exploiting personal connections to get access to a public service in the last year, according to a survey on attitudes to corruption. People relied on who they knew to get social security benefits (33%), gain entry into a public school (32%), access healthcare (31%), deal with the police (32%) or sort out identity documents (28%). The survey of 500 people was carried out between October and November last year as part of a European Union study on views and experiences of corruption by civil society organisation Transparency International. It also found: • a quarter of people believe most or all business executives are corrupt; • more than half fear there would be retaliation if they reported corruption; • some 56% believe the government is doing a good job in fighting corruption. Additionally, some 4% of respondents admitted to using a bribe to gain access to a public service, the highest share, at five per cent, having done so in relation to identity documents. The study described the use of personal connections to access public services as a “worrying trend” across the EU, with 11 member states reporting even higher rates than Malta. The...