When Do Citizens Support Corrupt Politicians? The Trade‐Offs Between Corruption and Competence

ABSTRACT The intriguing paradox of wide public disdain for corruption alongside popular corrupt politicians exists globally. By speaking to public ethics theory and rational choice theory, this study examines the trade‐off in which citizens tolerate corrupt officials in exchange for their competence to deliver public benefits. Using a conjoint experiment embedded in a sample of 30,521 surveys across 60 cities from 33 nationalities (regions) in 2023, this study yields three findings. First, mayoral candidates' economic performance mitigates the negative impacts of corruption on citizens' support. Second, although citizens are more likely to tolerate corrupt yet competent politicians, they still value honesty considerably more than competence. Third, citizens in contexts with less corruption and lower‐income citizens are less inclined to support corrupt politicians and more resistant to exchanging integrity for competence. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying citizens' mixed attitudes toward political corruption and competence.