Trust in the System? Factors that Impact Citizens’ View of Courts in the United Kingdom

Abstract

<h3>Objective</h3><p>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.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>By using a Bayesian hierarchical model, this article is able to calculate the effect of variables that exist at both levels.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>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.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Previous findings related to citizen attitudes and support for courts in the United States transfer well to the United Kingdom.</p>