Why Regional Heads Commit Corruption, According to the Public

Litbang Kompas surveyed public opinion on what factors drive regional heads to commit corruption.

The results show that the majority, or 22.4%, consider selective law enforcement to be the main factor.

A significant number of respondents also believe that regional heads commit corruption due to high political costs (21.2%), as well as their lavish lifestyles (21.2%).

"From these assessments, it appears that the public perceives low integrity as the main factor causing corruption," wrote Litbang Kompas in its report on Monday (December 1, 2025).

Aside from personal aspects, the public also highlighted structural issues. As many as 20.4% of respondents viewed the cause of corruption in regions as weak oversight, and 6.5% attributed it to permissive habits.

"The weak oversight and selective law enforcement, as perceived by the public, indicate that the negative legacy of feudalism is still prevalent in the regions," wrote Litbang Kompas.

The survey also found that the majority, or 63.3% of respondents, stated they would not elect a leader who has been implicated in corruption cases.

This survey involved 514 respondents from 70 cities in 38 provinces, selected randomly according to the population proportion in each province.

Data collection was conducted from November 10-13, 2025, via telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error was approximately 4.23% with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.