The dual impact of corruption: how perceptions and experiences shape political participation in Somalia – an empirical study

Corruption, a pervasive issue in most countries, is a significant obstacle that demands immediate and urgent resolution. Its detrimental effects on various societal aspects, including democracy, trust, investments, stability, and education, underscore the gravity of the problem. Moreover, corruption and dishonesty in government make citizens skeptical about politics and less willing to participate in democratic governance. Through a broad representative survey, this study empirically investigates how perceived or experienced corruption influences citizen participation in political actions. The data were analyzed using a quantitative structural equation modeling approach with SmartPLS 4 after 388 Somalis in Mogadishu completed a structured questionnaire. Our analysis of the study findings revealed that Somali citizens’ perceptions of corruption among public officials are strongly and negatively related to their political participation; in contrast, citizens’ report of having experienced corruption has a positive and statistically significant correlation with their involvement in political processes.