CITIZEN TRUST IN THE POLICE: A CROSS-NATIONAL COMPARISON
Date
2017-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Trust in the police is a topic that has been examined extensively in prior research. However, those studies have primarily been limited to the United States and Western Europe. This study is one of only a few that examines trust in the police involving two Latin American countries and a comparison with the United States. Using data collected by the 2014 Americas Barometer survey, this study compares levels of trust in the police and factors influencing police trustworthiness in the United States, Chile, and Honduras. Findings revealed Chile has the highest level of trust in the police, followed by the United States and Honduras. Fear in neighborhood and perceptions that rights are protected and courts are fair were found to be significant predictors of trust in the police across the three countries. Several other variables were significant predictors at the country-specific level. Policy implications are discussed.
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Keywords
sociology, criminal justice, police, citizen trust