The majority of Malaysians are opposed to corruption but most pay bribes anyway due to a sense of helplessness over rampant graft, according to a new survey.

The Merdeka Centre, an independent opinion research firm, found that 76 percent of Malaysians believe the level of corruption is "serious" but one in three would bribe police in order to evade a traffic offence.

"A number of people felt it was simply cheaper to pay the bribe than to pay the fine," Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian said Sunday, adding that citizens felt it was too much of a "hassle" to object.

Malaysians "do agree that corruption is bad and it carries a number of different consequences for society as well as the public agencies," he said.

But "they feel that if they report on corruption, they don't think any action will be taken".

The survey of 1,030 people carried out in the first week of August said that 19 percent of Malaysians had encountered corruption in the last five years, while 12 percent were exposed to corrupt practices in the previous year.

Nearly 80 percent believe corruption is most prevalent in the public sector - Malaysians often complain of having to pay off officials to get their cases processed.

Trust in the PM

The police are the government agency most commonly involved in graft, said 68 percent of those surveyed, and two-thirds of the bribes paid involved the police, mostly for traffic violations.

Malaysians also believe that institutions tackling corruption should be strengthened, with over a third of those polled saying the government's Anti-Corruption Agency should be independent.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged to combat corruption and since he came to power in 2003 several politicians from the ruling party, including a cabinet minister, have faced censure over graft.

The survey found that growing numbers of Malaysians - 34 percent in August compared to 29 percent in July 2004 - believe corruption is on the decrease.

"We think it's a reflection of the trust in the prime minister in carrying out what he has made the main plank of his election promises," said Ibrahim.

However the survey found 78 percent of Malaysians believe only Abdullah can tackle high-level corruption due to its entrenched nature.