Whistleblower Protection Awareness in Public Agencies

Abstract

Background: Differences in how institutions address whistleblower protection raise important questions about accountability, administrative consistency, and effective implementation.

Objective: The research compared approaches to whistleblower protection and explored which governance features were most closely associated with outcomes involving public agencies.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 781 relevant officials, professionals, service users, or regulated actors measured implementation quality, institutional capacity, procedural clarity, transparency, and perceived effectiveness. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression were used to examine factors associated with stronger implementation.

Results: In the whistleblower protection analysis, 767 cases were complete: 66% reflected consistent practice and 16% involved important procedural or capacity obstacles. Multivariable modelling showed independent positive associations for role clarity, staff capability, and access to formal guidance after accounting for organization size and jurisdiction.

Conclusion: These findings place institutional capacity at the centre of effective governance relating to whistleblower protection. Accordingly, implementation quality depends on how clearly institutions assign responsibility, coordinate action, and support review and accountability.

Study design: employee survey.

Publication history: Originally published in print on 15 June 2023, Volume 3, Article 10. Online abstract record added on 16 September 2026. Full-text PDF will be added when the digital galley is ready.