New times, old ways? Youth perceptions of corruption in the Iberian Peninsula

Eurobarometer data reveals that young citizens are the most tolerant towards corruption. Simultaneously, these surveys indicate that Portuguese and Spanish citizens are the least likely to offer money to facilitate tasks. However, this scenario changes when money is substituted with "less direct" means, such as gifts or favors. In these instances, both Portuguese and Spanish individuals become more inclined to believe that, as no money has exchanged hands, there is no corruption involved. Surprisingly, these pieces of the puzzle are largely absent in the existing literature. This article utilizes an original sample from 2526 voters surveyed in Portugal and Spain to evaluate (1) differing perceptions between younger and older people when various types of corruption are at play and (2) whether the motivations prompting the youth to tolerate more corruption differ from those displayed by other age cohorts. The results demonstrate that when moving away from bribery, the distinction between what is considered corrupt or not varies depending on whether young citizens were surveyed. Additionally, the motivations for tolerating corruption undergo reconfiguration based on the presented corruption scenario and whether younger or older citizens in the Iberian Peninsula are queried. These findings serve as a foundational exploration of the peculiarities surrounding young people's behavior in the face of corruption in Europe, a crucial aspect for the future and quality of democracies.