Published on: 11 June 2008
by Steven Van de Walle and John W. Raine, the University of Birmingham
The aim of this study was to analyse what determines citizens' confidence in the justice system, by framing levels of confidence in the wider European contact.
The study asks whether levels of confidence reflect simply the performance of the justice system, or are shaped by other factors, such as personal characteristics or attitudes towards public institutions. This research therefore focuses on the broader societal context of these attitudes, and on the opinions of citizens in general, rather than just those of users of the justice system.
As well as summarising international opinion research and literature on attitudes to the justice system, this study is based primarily on secondary analysis of:
- the World and European Value Surveys
- the European Commission's Eurobarometer
- the European Social Survey
- the British Crime Survey.
- Summary [PDF 0.16mb, 4 pages]
- Full report [PDF 0.34mb, 87 pages]
Please note that these files might not be fully accessible for screen-reader software or other needs. If you need a fully accessible version, please email us.