Jakarta – Almost two-thirds of Indonesian households who answered a nationwide survey reported falling victim to corruption by public officials, according to a report issued Friday.

Traffic police ere considered the most corrupt body, followed by the customs department and the judiciary, said the report from the Partnership for Governance Reform.

Mosques, churches and temples were seen as the least corrupt institutions, followed by the post office, the news media, non-government organisations and labour unions.

The report, parts of which were first published last year, details the result of a survey of 1,250 households, 650 public officials and 400 businesses in 14 provinces.

It found that 65 percent of households reported having experienced graft involving public officials. The public officials in the survey estimated that 48 percent were receiving "unofficial payments". More than three-quarters of businesses routinely paid bribes.

Despite the prevalence of graft, 70 percent of respondents termed it a disease that should be eradicated. Households ranked it the most serious social problem. But fewer than 10 percent of corruption cases known to respondents were reported to authorities. Some 71 percent said they did not know where to report.

Households said they spent about one percent of their income on bribes while the figure for businesses averaged five percent.

Causes of the endemic graft were given as low pay for officials, lack of enforcement and low morality. But the survey also found that organisations which set great store on fighting graft were less corrupt than others, regardless of individual morality.

The report said the survey results call for an urgent action plan "to address this major social problem"."Corruption reduces not only the quality of public service but also the credibility of the public institution. More importantly, the high cost of corruption discourages business investment," it said.

The report traces much of the problem back to the New Order regime of Preisdent Suharto. "The long-standing collusion between business enterprises and government officials has resulted in a distorted economy that favours private economic interests over the broader public good."

President Megawati Sukarnoputri last month expressed concern about another poll that listed the country as the most corrupt in Asia and called on Indonesians to work hard to shed the image.

The Partnership for Governance Reform is supported by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the Asian Development Bank and donor nations.