Nurturing Anti-Corruption Attitude: The Role of Culture, Education, and Parenting

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-785-9_41How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Corruption prevention; Integrity; Family upbringing; Anti-Corruption Education

Abstract

Corruption, which remains widespread in Malaysia, has become an increasingly serious social and governance problem. It not only undermines institutional trust and weakens governance structures but also erodes social values and public confidence. In Malaysia, corruption has long been entrenched across political, bureaucratic, and community settings, making efforts to eradicate it complex and multifaceted. This study aims to investigate the influence of cultural background, schooling approach, parenting style, and individual awareness. All the influences will relate to corrupt tendencies, providing a comprehensive analysis of personal, familial, and educational factors that may shape ethical behavior. The methodology adopted a quantitative approach, with data collected across zones in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 401 respondents participated in the survey, comprising enforcement officers from various agencies. The study measured the four key independent variables, which include culture, education, parenting style, and individual awareness, in relation to corruption tendencies. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationships among these variables. The findings reveal significant positive correlations between corruption and three factors: individual awareness, schooling approach, and parenting style, suggesting that personal values, ethical consciousness, and early socialization play crucial roles in shaping susceptibility to corruption. In contrast, no significant relationship was observed between corruption and cultural background, indicating that corruption cannot be explained solely through cultural narratives or traditions. These results highlight the importance of adopting a holistic anti-corruption strategy that emphasizes education, ethical parenting, and the cultivation of personal integrity. By addressing these key factors, policymakers can strengthen the foundations of ethical behavior and foster a culture of integrity, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable efforts to curb corruption in Malaysia.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Nur Syakiran Akmal Ismail
AU  - Abdullah Fazrin Zamani
AU  - Md Zawawi Abu Bakar
AU  - Siti Rozaina Binti Kamsan
AU  - Anis Yusal Yusoff
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
TI  - Nurturing Anti-Corruption Attitude: The Role of Culture, Education, and Parenting
BT  - Proceedings of the UUM 13th International Legal Conference 2025 (UUMILC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 596
EP  - 607
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-785-9_41
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-785-9_41
ID  - Ismail2026
ER  -