Measuring confidence outside (and inside) the BCSGood News!

Susanne Karstedt University of Leeds, UK© Susanne Karstedt

Trust and confidence in police and justice

“Increasing and maintaining public confidence in the police should be seen as a long-term continuous process”

Home Office 2009

Why trust and confidence?

• “Romantic” vision - Golden age of policing

• Community policing

• Performance measurement – managerial perspective

Asking questions

• How much confidence and trust in the police do we really need?

• How much impact do we actually have on public opinion?

Outline

• The UK and its neighbours – comparative perspectives

• Development of confidence, trust and distrust: What do the data tell us?

• Trajectories of (dis)trust: Which groups withdrew trust, which groups increased trust?

• Values and attitudes: Contextualising confidence and trust

Looking at trust in the police and justice system

• Trust as a sociotropic concept – Trust is mostly not based on individual experience but

generated through collective perceptions and vicarious experience

– Trust in the police and justice system is therefore less dependent on how these agencies act, and more on how they are collectively perceived

Therefore: no difference between people who had contact with the police and those who did not in in terms of agreeing that the police deal with ASB and crime (Home Office BCS 2009)

Data

• World Values Survey 1982 – 2005• European Social Survey 2002 – 2008• Eurobarometer 1997 – 2007 • British Crime Survey 1996 - 2008

The UK and its neighboursComparative perspectives

Development of confidence, trust and distrust in the UK

What do the data tell us?

Measuring trust in the UK:World Value Survey

Measuring trust in the UK: World Value Survey

Measuring trust in the UK: European Social Survey

Measuring trust in the UK: Eurobarometer

Measuring trust in the UK: British Crime Survey

Measuring trust in the UK: British Crime Survey

Measuring trust in the UK: British Crime Survey

Trajectories of (dis)trust:

Which groups withdrew trust?Which groups increased trust?

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Age groups

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Age groups

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Income levels

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Income levels

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Education

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Education

Measuring (dis)trust with the BCS: Area

Values and attitudes:

Contextualising confidence and trust

Fear of terrorist attack and (dis)trust in the police

Fear of terrorist attack and (dis)trust in the police

Fear of terrorist attack and (dis)trust in the police

Improving and maintaining trust: Good news!

• Trust and confidence in the UK is on the rise since 2000

• Neither dramatic improvements nor failures • Trust and distrust develop in waves that affect

groups equally and shape their trajectories over time

Improving and maintaining trust:Cautious notes!

• The police is operating in an increasingly distrustful society

• A government that presents itself as “taking responsibility” might increase distrust in the police

• Promoting self-interest of citizens might increase distrust