The Relationship of Micro and Macro Worries on the Acceptability of Corruption: The Role of Basic Human Values

Psychology in Russia: State of the Art. 2026. Vol. 19. No. 2.

Maklasova E., Tatarko A., Boehnke K.

Background. Corruption severely threatens societal stability and well-being, with various factors contributing to its prevalence. This study, relying on theory and empirical research on the relationship between suffering and fraud, offers a new explanation, that worries may be an essential factor in the acceptability of corruption. People’s worries are the consequences of suffering they experience throughout their lives.

Objective. To investigate the role of basic human values in the relationship between micro/macro worries and the acceptance of corruption.

Design. In the cross-sectional online research, 1,380 Russians participated. The socio-psychological survey includes the revised Portrait Values Questionnaire, a modified version of Kubiak’s method for assessing the acceptability of corruption, and a modified version of Boehnke’s method for assessing worries.

Results. The results demonstrate that micro worries lead to acceptance of corruption, while macro worries induce rejection of corruption. The interaction of values and worries affects the acceptability of corruption and shows that increasing micro worries, against the backdrop of the values Conservation and Self-Transcendence, can lead to high risk of everyday corruption. We observe the opposite situation when macro worries, against the backdrop of the clearly expressed value Openness to Change, lead to decreased corruption risks.

Conclusion. This research contributes theoretically by explaining how negative social phenomena like corruption can be understood through the relationship between suffering and dishonest behavior.

Keywords: corruption, crime, worry, corruption risks, values