National identity and distrust in the police: The case of North West Wales

Stefan Machura; Stephanie Jones; Alexandra Würgler; Joanna Cuthbertson; Alannah Hemmings

doi:10.1177/1477370818764835

National identity and distrust in the police: The case of North West Wales

Stefan Machura
, Stephanie Jones
, Alexandra Würgler
, Joanna Cuthbertson
, Alannah Hemmings

School of Social Sciences, Bangor University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

450 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Trust in the police, as defined by perceived procedural fairness, just decisions, and effectivity, may be impacted by deep political divisions among the population, especially where citizens adopt opposing national identities. In Europe, North West Wales is one such area. Nationalism is intensified by language issues (Welsh vs. English) and historical experiences of British institutions. A sample of 207 residents living within the local authority of Gwynedd were asked to take part in the study. A questionnaire survey addressed how much trust in the police ultimately depends upon national identity as expressed by preference for the Welsh language, trust in British institutions, and attitudes towards political symbols. Other factors tested included personal experience of the police, the influence of news reports and police TV series, as well as the perceived effectiveness of the police in addressing crime. Trust in UK institutions, preference for the Welsh language, and news reporting were found to have most influence on trust in the police.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	60-80
Journal	European Journal of Criminology
Volume	16
Issue number	1
Early online date	9 Apr 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370818764835
Publication status	Published - Jan 2019

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

media representation of police
national identity
North Wales
procedural justice
trust in police
Welsh language

Access to Document

10.1177/1477370818764835

2018 National IdentityAccepted author manuscript, 585 KB

Laypeople’s Attitudes towards and Experiences with the Law
Machura, S., 28 Jun 2024, Laypersons in Law: Social Science Perspectives on Legal Practices of Non-professionals. Kretschmann, A., Mouralis , G. & Zeigermann, U. (eds.). Abingdon: Routledge, 14 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Legitimation
Machura, S., 5 Jun 2024, Grundbegriffe der Soziologie. Kopp, J. & Steinbach, A. (eds.). 13 ed. Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag, p. 309-315
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Welsh Nationalism, Language and Students’ Trust in the UK Police
Machura, S., Almjnoni, S., Vavrik, B. & Williams, E., Mar 2022, In: International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society. 35, 1, p. 67-84
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
277 Downloads (Pure)

2 Participation in Academic conference
2 Invited talk
1 Oral presentation

A matter of trust: How students view the police
Machura, S. (Speaker)
19 Jun 2024
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Developing International Collaboration on Promoting Socio-Legal Studies in Ukraine: Tools and Good Practices
Machura, S. (Speaker)
30 May 2024
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in Academic conference

File
Engaging Diverse Communities with Welsh Law and Justice
Machura, S. (Speaker)
8 Oct 2021
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk

File

Cite this

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title = "National identity and distrust in the police: The case of North West Wales",

abstract = "Trust in the police, as defined by perceived procedural fairness, just decisions, and effectivity, may be impacted by deep political divisions among the population, especially where citizens adopt opposing national identities. In Europe, North West Wales is one such area. Nationalism is intensified by language issues (Welsh vs. English) and historical experiences of British institutions. A sample of 207 residents living within the local authority of Gwynedd were asked to take part in the study. A questionnaire survey addressed how much trust in the police ultimately depends upon national identity as expressed by preference for the Welsh language, trust in British institutions, and attitudes towards political symbols. Other factors tested included personal experience of the police, the influence of news reports and police TV series, as well as the perceived effectiveness of the police in addressing crime. Trust in UK institutions, preference for the Welsh language, and news reporting were found to have most influence on trust in the police.",

keywords = "media representation of police , national identity, North Wales, procedural justice, trust in police, Welsh language",

author = "Stefan Machura and Stephanie Jones and Alexandra W{\"u}rgler and Joanna Cuthbertson and Alannah Hemmings",

note = "Stefan Machura is Professor of Criminology at the School of Social Sciences, Bangor University. Stephanie Jones is a PhD student and Alexandra W{\"u}rgler a BA student at the same school. Joanna Cuthbertson and Alannah Hemmings have graduated with MAs in autumn 2017.",

year = "2019",

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N1 - Stefan Machura is Professor of Criminology at the School of Social Sciences, Bangor University. Stephanie Jones is a PhD student and Alexandra Würgler a BA student at the same school. Joanna Cuthbertson and Alannah Hemmings have graduated with MAs in autumn 2017.

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AB - Trust in the police, as defined by perceived procedural fairness, just decisions, and effectivity, may be impacted by deep political divisions among the population, especially where citizens adopt opposing national identities. In Europe, North West Wales is one such area. Nationalism is intensified by language issues (Welsh vs. English) and historical experiences of British institutions. A sample of 207 residents living within the local authority of Gwynedd were asked to take part in the study. A questionnaire survey addressed how much trust in the police ultimately depends upon national identity as expressed by preference for the Welsh language, trust in British institutions, and attitudes towards political symbols. Other factors tested included personal experience of the police, the influence of news reports and police TV series, as well as the perceived effectiveness of the police in addressing crime. Trust in UK institutions, preference for the Welsh language, and news reporting were found to have most influence on trust in the police.

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National identity and distrust in the police: The case of North West Wales

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Research output

Laypeople’s Attitudes towards and Experiences with the Law

Legitimation

Welsh Nationalism, Language and Students’ Trust in the UK Police

Activities

A matter of trust: How students view the police

Developing International Collaboration on Promoting Socio-Legal Studies in Ukraine: Tools and Good Practices

Engaging Diverse Communities with Welsh Law and Justice

Cite this