Public perceptions of academic credential fraud in Qatar: evidence from Qatar Semi-Annual Survey

Abstract

Academic credential fraud threatens trust in higher education, labour-market fairness, and professional standards. This study examines self-reported familiarity with forged higher-education certificates and public perceptions of credential fraud in Qatar using data from the May 2022 Qatar Semi-Annual Survey. The model examines associations between reported familiarity and respondents' age, gender, education, employment status, interview language, and marital status, including an exploratory gender-by-age interaction. Higher educational attainment is positively associated with reported familiarity, while gender and the gender-by-age interaction are not statistically significant. Married respondents report lower familiarity than never-married respondents. A separate Qatari–expatriate comparison indicates a statistically significant but small difference in the distribution of familiarity. The findings should be interpreted as broad patterns of self-reported familiarity rather than objective measures of knowledge, involvement, or fraud prevalence. The study highlights the importance of transparent credential-verification procedures, employer due diligence, and public education while acknowledging limitations concerning measurement sensitivity, sampling documentation, and generalization beyond Qatar. Additionally, the study offers policy implications and recommendations aimed at improving governance within the system.