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Trust in the System? Factors that Impact Citizens’ View of Courts in the United Kingdom
Author(s) -
Hansen Michael A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/ssqu.12372
Subject(s) - test (biology) , variables , kingdom , variable (mathematics) , political science , mathematical analysis , paleontology , mathematics , machine learning , computer science , biology
Objective The objective of this study was to test the individual and parliamentary constituency factors that impact the level of trust that British citizens have in the courts. Methods By using a Bayesian hierarchical model, this article is able to calculate the effect of variables that exist at both levels. Results At the individual level, the main explanatory variable is the amount of trust a citizen holds for other institutions, and at the constituency level, crime rate has an effect on a citizen's level of trust in the courts. Conclusion Previous findings related to citizen attitudes and support for courts in the United States transfer well to the United Kingdom.