Trust in Justice: Notes on the Development of European Social Indicators

22 Pages Posted: 30 Nov 2010 Last revised: 17 Apr 2011

See all articles by Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science

Mike Hough

King’s College London - Institute for Criminal Policy Research

Jouni Kuha

London School of Economics and Political Science

Sally Stares

City, University of London

Sally Widdop

City University London

Rory Fitzgerald

City University London

Maria Yordanova

Center for the Study of Democracy

Todor Galev

Center for the Study of Democracy

Date Written: November 30, 2010

Abstract

A social indicators approach to trust in justice recognises that the police and criminal courts need public support and institutional legitimacy if they are to operate effectively and fairly. We present in this paper the conceptual and methodological tools to devise indicators of trust and legitimacy across Europe. First, we outline the conceptual roadmap for a comparative European analysis of trust in justice. Second, we describe the development process of a 45-item module in Round 5 of the European Social Survey that fields the survey indicators. Third, we present the findings from the quantitative piloting of the indicators in the UK and Bulgaria and document the final wording of the measures. Fourth, we consider the policy implications of the procedural justice model of criminal justice that underpins the current project: by demonstrating to citizens that they are both trustworthy and possess the authority to govern, institutions can enhance public cooperation and compliance.

(This is an extended, pre-publication version of a paper entitled ‘Developing European Indicators of Trust in Justice’, which will be published in 2011 in the European Journal of Criminology.)

Keywords: social indicators, trust in the police, social measurement, police legitimacy, compliance, measurement invariance

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation

Jackson, Jonathan and Bradford, Ben and Hough, Mike and Kuha, Jouni and Stares, Sally and Widdop, Sally and Fitzgerald, Rory and Yordanova, Maria and Galev, Todor, Trust in Justice: Notes on the Development of European Social Indicators (November 30, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1717924 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1717924

Jonathan Jackson (Contact Author)

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Methodology ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
+0044-207-955-7652 (Phone)

Ben Bradford

University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science ( email )

35 Tavistock Square
London, WC1H 9EZ
United Kingdom

Mike Hough

King’s College London - Institute for Criminal Policy Research ( email )

Strand
London, WC2B 2LS
United Kingdom

Jouni Kuha

London School of Economics and Political Science ( email )

Sally Stares

City, University of London ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Sally Widdop

City University London ( email )

Northampton Square
London, EC1V OHB
United Kingdom

Rory Fitzgerald

City University London ( email )

Northampton Square
London, EC1V OHB
United Kingdom

Maria Yordanova

Center for the Study of Democracy ( email )

5 Alexander Zhendov St.
Sofia, 1113
Bulgaria

Todor Galev

Center for the Study of Democracy ( email )

5 Alexander Zhendov St.
Sofia, 1113
Bulgaria

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