An Overview of Empirical Studies of the Relationship Between Personal Attitudes Towards Crime and Trust in the Police in Germany – Conceptual and Methodological Inconsistencies

Abstract

Police power to act requires the trust of the population. The conviction of being protected by the police can reduce security concerns, while subjective insecurity can result in doubts about their competence. A literature search identified 38 publications in the form of institute reports, journal articles, monographs and anthologies on a total of 28 data sources that deal specifically with the relationship between personal attitudes to crime and trust in the police in Germany. Although a correlation is reported in the majority of cases, a differentiated examination of the individual publications reveals divergences and deficits with regard to the underlying theoretical concepts and the survey and evaluation methods. There is a need for greater use of multivariate evaluation methods, more frequent use of several indicators to depict both aspects and clear and uniform definitions of concepts and terms in order to ensure better comparability of the results.