Trust in Police
Percentage with a great deal/quite a lot of confidence in the police.
Why did we include this measure?
The police are responsible for enforcing laws and protecting our safety. These are some of the most fundamental roles of government.
How does the US rank globally?
- Specific Measure: (Same as above.)
(Source: Authors’ analysis of World Values Survey).
- Percentage of countries the US outperforms: 66% (out of 29 countries)
- International Rank Trend: Stable
National Trend Worsening
What do the data show?
The national trend shows declining trust in police since the early 2000s, but we are in the top half compared with other high-income countries and our international standing has been stable. We rank just below the Netherlands, Andorra, and Australia and well behind China.
What might explain these patterns?
Multiple factors may be behind this. We are not aware of evidence that the frequency of actual police misconduct has changed over this period, so we cannot draw conclusions about this possible cause. The decline in trust in police does align roughly with the introduction of the first camera-based smartphone in 2007. The rise of these devices, as well as police body cams later, means that interactions with the police are now frequently captured on video and then shown on social media and in mass media. Some of these videos have shown what appears to be evidence of violent misconduct, especially against African Americans. (We note that viral videos sometimes do not convey well the context of police encounters that escalate, from the perspective of either the police or the accused.) The drops in trust in the police have been larger for African Americans and young people.
For more information about data sources and treatments, download the Data Notes.