Crime and corruption are the top problems facing people who live in emerging and developing countries, according to a new study by Pew Research.
Pew asked people in 34 second- and third-world countries what their biggest day-to-day problems are and 83 percent say crime is #1. Just over three-fourths of everyone surveyed say corruption also is a very big problem.
Crime and corruption is seen as the biggest threat regionally in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Of all countries studied, residents of Tunisia have more worries about crime than any other country. Over 90 percent of Tunisians think crime is the country’s major problem and a similar number believe corruption is rampant.
Crime and corruption are also growing problems, Pew says. Globally, concern with crime in emerging and developing countries has increased 10 percentage points over the last seven years. Corruption has increased by the same amount.
Another growing problem for these countries is poor quality schools. Concern over local education increased from 38 percent in 2007 to 51 percent in 2014, but overall, poor schools ranked fourth out of ten problems considered by those surveyed.
Following crime and corruption as key concerns are healthcare, poor schools, water pollution, air pollution, food safety, electricity shortages and traffic.
Interestingly, Pew also asked respondents to rate national institutions in their countries and found that the military wields the most influence in many emerging and developing countries.
Across all countries, 79 percent of those surveyed say the influence of the military in their country is positive. The media are the second most influential institution followed by, in descending order, religious leaders, banks and financial institutions, corporations, national government, civil servants and the court system.
Low marks for the court system – just 47 percent of all those surveyed say positive things about their court system – is strongly linked with concern over crime and corruption.