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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Electronic versions

Documents

DOI

  • Stefan Machura
  • Stephanie Jones
  • Alexandra Würgler
    School of Social Sciences, Bangor University
  • Joanna Cuthbertson
    School of Social Sciences, Bangor University
  • Alannah Hemmings
    School of Social Sciences, Bangor University
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
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)60-80
JournalEuropean Journal of Criminology
Volume16
Issue number1
Early online date9 Apr 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2019

Research outputs (3)

View all

Prof. activities and awards (5)

View all

Total downloads

No data available
View graph of relations