Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2021/22: Main Findings

7. Public perceptions of police and the justice system

This chapter reports on public confidence in, and attitudes towards, the police and criminal justice system in Scotland. The majority of this chapter focuses on the perceptions of the general public about policing, with some results on those who have had direct contact with the police and their satisfaction with relevant encounters in the latter part of the section. The chapter then explores knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the wider criminal justice system in Scotland.

Perceptions of the police

This report typically assesses how Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) results in 2021/22 compare to findings from the 2008/09 (or the first year the question was asked in the survey) and 2019/20 results. However, when considering time trends across the SCJS, this chapter also presents findings in comparison to 2012/13 as the last survey prior to the formation of Police Scotland. As such, where key changes are detected as having occurred between 2012/13 and 2021/22, they are also highlighted within this chapter^[69].

As well as national level results, this chapter provides key findings broken down for demographic and area characteristics (including deprivation and urban/rural status).

In 2019, the Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services worked in collaboration with a range of stakeholders to develop the public confidence in policing module. This module development involved significant stakeholder engagement informed by a desk-based review of the strengths and weaknesses of the SCJS in measuring public confidence in the police. This review compared the SCJS with other surveys internationally (including Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and England and Wales), and presented options and opportunities to develop the policing module. The newly developed and updated questions were included in the 2021/22 SCJS and results are discussed below, more information about the development of these questions is available within this SCJS questionnaire development update; page 6 outlines changes to the public confidence in the police module.

Results at Police Division level and other geographies

SCJS results at Police Division level are available biennially (as they have been since 2012/13), with two survey years of data combined to increase the sample size and precision around results with effect from 2016/17. The most recent findings available at this level are from 2018/19-2019/20^[70], and include perceptions of the police as well as wider SCJS results such as victimisation rates, within each Division. These results can be accessed via the data tables. Alternatively, Police Division level data is available through the SCJS interactive data tool which has been developed to show divisional results relative to the national average for a chosen year or over time.

SCJS measures on confidence in the ability of the police also formed part of the Scottish Surveys Core Questions (SSCQ) between 2012 and 2017 and again, after a short break, in 2022 (which includes the 2021/22 SCJS). The SSCQ combines selected data from the three large Scottish Government population surveys^[71] to offer larger sample sizes to facilitate further analysis for smaller geographies and population sub-groups. Further details about the SSCQ are available on the Scottish Government website.

Understanding and measuring confidence in the police

The SCJS includes a range of questions to capture public perceptions of different aspects of policing.

Views on overall confidence in the police can be examined using a single measure asking people about how they would rate the performance of their local police, with confidence itself being driven in part by perceptions and experiences of particular aspects of policing. Particularly prominent factors influencing overall confidence (and captured within the SCJS) have been shown to be perceptions of:

• the ability or effectiveness of the police
• their level of community engagement
• how fair the police are when carrying out duties

This chapter initially focuses on the overall confidence measure and confidence in the effectiveness of the police. Following this, there is a focus on perceptions of aspects of community engagement and fairness, recognising their importance in driving wider confidence. A list of selected publications on factors that drive public confidence in the police is available at the end of this section.

What did the public think about the overall performance of the police?

Nearly half of adults in Scotland (49%) believed the police in their local area were doing an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job in 2021/22. This is a decrease from 61% in 2012/13^[72] and a decrease from 55% in 2019/20.

Just over one-third (35%) thought the police were doing a ‘fair’ job in 2021/22, whilst just over one-in-ten (12%) said the police were doing a poor or very poor job. Of these two categories, ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’, only the ‘poor’ category has shown a change in the past year, increasing by 1.6 percentage points and it has also shown a change since 2012/13, increasing by 3.3 percentage points.

Figure 7.1: Nearly half of adults in Scotland believed the police in their local area were doing an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job in 2021/22.

Base: All adults (2012/13: 12,050; 2014/15: 11,470; 2016/17: 5,570; 2017/18: 5,480; 2018/19: 5,540; 2019/20: 5,570; 2021/22: 5,520); Variable: QRATPOL.

In 2021/22, victims of crime were less likely than non-victims to say the police were doing a good or excellent job (40% compared with 50%, respectively). Likewise, a smaller proportion of those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland described the local police’s performance as good or excellent compared to adults in the rest of Scotland (43% compared with 50% respectively).

Looking at this measure over time, there has been a decrease in the proportion saying the police are doing an excellent or good job across a range of demographic groups since 2012/13. Specifically, at a national level, confidence decreased among the following groups:

• both males and females
• people aged 25-44, 45-59 and people aged 60 and over
• both people who were a victim and not a victim of crime in the year prior to interview
• people in both the 15% most deprived areas and the rest of Scotland
• people in both urban and rural areas

Other than the category of those aged 60 and over (which has decreased from 64% in 2012/13 to 48% in 2021/22), all of the other decreases highlighted above have been around 10-13 percentage points.

Further details of these changes in confidence levels over time can found in Annex table A1.15.

How confident were people in the ability of the police?

This section considers public perceptions of the effectiveness of the police, by asking respondents how confident they were in the ability of the police in their local areas to undertake seven particular components of work:

• preventing crime
• respond quickly to appropriate calls and information from the public
• deal with incidents as they occur
• investigate incidents after they occur
• solve crimes
• catch criminals
• supporting victims of crime

For convenience, these results are often referred to as ‘effectiveness measures’ below.

As shown in Figure 7.2, a majority of adults in Scotland were confident in the ability of the police across six of the seven effectiveness measures in 2021/22. Fewer than half of adults (46%) were very or fairly confident in the police’s ability to prevent crime.

Only six of the seven effectiveness measures currently include comparisons over time as the seventh measure (confidence in the police’s ability to support victims of crime) was included for the first time in this latest survey year (2021/22).

Of the six effectiveness measures that can be compared over time, five of them found confidence in the ability of the police to be lower in 2021/22 than in 2019/20 and all six of the measures were lower in 2021/22 compared to 2012/13.

Figure 7.2: The majority of adults were confident in the police across six of the seven effectiveness measures.

Base: All adults (5,570); Variables: QPOLCONF_01 – QPOLCONF_07.

Looking more closely at the trends over time for six of the indicators reveals that generally confidence in the ability of the police:

• increased in the years between 2008/09 and 2012/13
• all measures decreased since 2014/15 with three of the six (prevent crime, solve crime and catch criminals) showing no difference from the 2008/09 baseline

Five of the six measures which can be compared over the long term showed a decrease between 2019/20 and 2021/22: respond quickly (64% to 59%); deal with incidents (64% to 60%); investigate incidents (69% to 66%); solve crimes (62% to 58%) and, catch criminals (58% to 55%). Confidence in the ability of the police to prevent crime was the only measure not to show a significant change. This aspect of policing has consistently shown the lowest level of confidence across the six measures over the years. The measure has decreased from a peak of 57% in 2014/15, and is now in line with the 2008/09 baseline of 46%.

Did the public feel the police conducted their work fairly and were engaged with their community?

In 2021/22 adults in Scotland were generally positive about the way the police in their local area carried out their work and engaged with the public.

As well as looking at confidence in the ability of the police, the SCJS explores whether respondents believe the police treat people fairly and with respect, and whether the service is focused on the issues which matter to particular communities. The following section reports on the existing package of ‘community engagement’ and ‘fairness’ measures, those questions that have been in the survey since 2009/10. Three new questions that ask respondents about the perception of the police were added into the 2021/22 SCJS, and as these have only been included in one survey sweep, they are discussed separately in the next section.

Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about the police in their area, with adults in 2021/22 mostly providing positive responses or saying they did not have a strong view, as shown in Figure 7.3 below. These have been grouped into measures which can be considered to be related to perceptions of how engaged the police are with the community and how fair the police are when carrying out duties respectively (hereafter generally referred to as ‘fair treatment’ or ‘fairness’ and ‘community engagement’). Overall, these findings suggest that people largely hold favourable views on the approach of their local police, and this is in line with the finding that nearly half of adults are confident in the police and views on the effectiveness of the police are generally positive. To note, the measure ‘community relations with the police in this local area are poor’, which previously was one of the community engagement measures, was not included in the 2021/22 questionnaire and therefore is no longer reported.

Figure 7.3: Respondents generally had positive or not strong views around how local police conducted their work.

Base: Adults who are not a serving police officer, married to or living with serving police officer (5,430); Variables: POLOPREL – POLOPCOM.

Compared to 2009/10 (when these questions were first included in the survey) the public held broadly unchanged views in 2021/22 across four of the five above measures which examine perceptions of fair treatment and community engagement. The exception is ‘police in this area are not dealing with the things that matter to people in this community’ which has decreased by 8 percentage points from 31% in 2009/10 to 23% in 2021/22, this tell us that the public now feel the police are more focused on issues that matter to local communities. Improvements generally occurred between 2009/10 and 2012/13, with more stability and short-term fluctuation shown in the years since then, with decreases in 4 of the 5 measures over the last year. The section below presents these fair treatment and community engagement measures in turn.

Views on the two fair treatment measures have both remained stable since these questions were first asked in 2009/10^[73], but have both decreased in the latest year:

• 83% in 2021/22 agreeing with the statement that the police would treat you with respect, in line with 83% in 2009/10 and down from 89% in 2019/20
• 58% in 2021/22 agreeing that the police treat everyone fairly regardless of who they are, in line with 58% in 2009/10 and down from 63% in 2019/20

These results can be seen in full in Annex table A1.22.

Turning to community engagement measures^[74], since their introduction in 2009/10 results on these measures have been generally positive. However, since 2012/13 some aspects of community engagement have shown trends which are worth monitoring. For example:

• the proportion of people who think that the police listen to the concerns of local people fell from 54% in 2012/13 to 50% in 2014/15 and has since dropped further (to 46% in 2021/22); this is lower than the 2009/10 baseline
• the proportion of people who think that the police can be relied on to be there when you need them had remained largely stable since 2012/13 when it was 66%, but fell from 65% in 2019/20 to 58% in 2021/22. This is in line with the 2009/10 baseline

The proportion of people thinking that the police are not dealing with issues which matter to the community has remained stable since 2012/13 (when 25% of people felt this way), just under one-fifth thought this was the case in 2021/22 (23%).

These results suggest that both the fairness and community engagement indicators should continue to be monitored into the future.

New questions on perceptions of the police

For 2021/22, three new questions were added to the SCJS to better understand respondents’ views of the police. These asked about the police being friendly and approachable, being involved in activities in the local community and whether they are held to account for the service they provide. As this is the first year these questions have been asked, we cannot compare to previous years. As such these measures have not been subsumed into the existing ‘community engagement’, ‘fairness’ or ‘effectiveness’ indicators.

Around three-thirds (61%) of respondents agreed that police in their area are friendly and approachable. The levels of agreement were higher for those aged 16-24 (compared to other age groups), and for those living in rural areas but lower for those in the 15% most deprived areas, (56% compared to 61% for those living in the rest of Scotland).

When asked if they agreed that local police in their area were involved in activities in the local community (for example, activities for children, presentations at schools, cultural or sporting events, or local committees), 36% of respondents agreed and 14% disagreed. Levels of agreement and disagreement were broadly similar across all demographic groups.

Respondents were also asked if they agreed that police in their area are held to account for the service they provide, with 43% agreeing and 12% disagreeing. Those aged 16-24 were more likely than other age groups to agree, however, the remaining demographic groups were broadly similar.

How did perceptions of the police vary amongst the population?

The SCJS enables us to examine how views on the ability of the police, their level of community engagement and fairness in their approach varied across the population according to demographic and geographic characteristics, as well as whether individuals had experienced crime or not in the year prior to interview. The section below explores results for selected breakdowns, with key results and additional breakdowns presented in more detail in the Annex tables (for effectiveness measures) and online data tables.

Overall, in line with the national average, views on the police were positive amongst population sub-groups in 2021/22 across the range of effectiveness, community engagement and fairness measures.

However, notwithstanding the overall positive perceptions of the police, views in 2021/22 varied between victims of crime and non-victims. Victims of crime held less positive opinions on the police across a selection of the metrics looking at effectiveness, community engagement and fairness.

Significant differences are outlined in Figure 7.4 below, with all other measures showing no difference between these comparator groups.

Figure 7.4: Views on the police were less positive amongst victims of crime across a number of indicators, whilst remaining largely positive in an absolute sense.

Base: Effectiveness: Victims (530); Non-victims (4,980). Community engagement/fairness: Victims (510); Non-victims (4,830). Variables: QPOLCONF_01 – QPOLCONF_06; POLOPREL – POLOPCOM.

In previous years, the SCJS has seen differing views on the police between those in the most deprived areas compared to those living elsewhere. However, in 2021/22 there were no significant differences identified between those living in the 15% most deprived areas and the rest of Scotland in their confidence in the police across four of the seven effectiveness measures. The effectiveness measure ‘catch criminals’ was 5% lower for those living in the 15% most deprived areas.

Those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland did tend to hold less positive opinions on the police across a selection of community engagement and fairness measures, however.

Significant differences are outlined in Figure 7.5 below, with all other measures showing no difference between these comparator groups.

Variation in perceptions of the police, by area deprivation.

Base: Effectiveness: 15% most deprived areas (770); Rest of Scotland (4,740). Community engagement/fairness: 15% most deprived areas (760); Rest of Scotland (4,590). Variables: QPOLCONF_01 – QPOLCONF_07; POLOPREL – POLOPCOM.

How did perceptions of the police vary by age?

Looking at confidence in the police by age, in 2021/22 those aged 16 to 24 had higher levels of confidence across the seven effectiveness measures than adults of all other age categories. People aged 25 to 44 were more likely than those aged 60 or over to have higher confidence levels across all seven effectiveness measures, which suggests that in general those in the younger two age categories (16 to 24 and 25 to 44) had more confidence in the police than older adults (45 to 59 and 60 or over).

Turning to views on how good a job the police are doing, fair treatment and community engagement by age, there is a less clear picture. For example: people aged 16 to 24 were more likely than those aged 45 to 59 and those aged 60 or over to say the police were doing an excellent or good job. There was no difference between those aged 25-44, 45-59 and 60 or over.

• adults aged 16 to 24 were more confident that the police would treat them with respect if they had contact with them than adults aged 25-44 (87% compared to 79%), however, there was no difference between 16 to 24 year olds, 45 to 59 year olds and those aged 60 and over
• detailed breakdowns by age groups in 2021/22 and over time can be found in the online data tables

How did perceptions of the police vary by rurality and sex?

Views across all of the effectiveness indicators were similar in urban and rural areas. However, there were some differences across the community engagement and fairness indicators. Those in urban areas had less confidence than those in rural areas that the police listen to the concerns of local people (45% compared to 50%, respectively), they were also less confident that the police in their area treat everyone fairly regardless of who they are (56% compared to 67%, respectively).

For only one of the effectiveness, fairness and community engagement indicators was there a difference in the views of males and females in 2021/22. The SCJS found that males were more likely than females to think that police in their area treat everyone fairly regardless of who they are (61% compared to 55%, respectively).

Additionally, it is worth noting that there was no difference both between those in urban and rural areas and between males and females in the proportions who thought the police were doing a good or excellent job in 2021/22 (49% and 50%, and 49% and 49%, respectively).

How did perceptions of the police varied over time?

Looking at trends over time the SCJS finds that perceptions of the police have remained stable or improved since 2008/09 (or 2009/10 where relevant) for many key groups in the population.

For instance, the proportion of adults who felt very or fairly confident in the ability of the police to take forward each of the six components of police work in terms of effectiveness was stable or higher in 2021/22 compared to 2008/09 amongst those aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 44, people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland and people living in urban areas. These results are shown in full in Annex Tables A1.16 to A1.21^[75]. The tables also show that results across these measures have broadly remained stable since 2019/20 for those living in the most deprived areas and rural areas, but have fallen for those living elsewhere in Scotland and urban areas.

Figure 7.6 provides a closer look at perceptions amongst people in the most deprived areas by way of example. It outlines how confidence in the ability of the police has increased over time between 2008/09 and 2019/20.

Figure 7.6: The confidence in the ability of the police by respondents living in the 15% most deprived areas has generally been stable or increased over time.

Base: Adults living in 15% most deprived areas (2008/09: 2,440; 2021/22: 770); Variables: QPOLCONF_01 – QPOLCONF_06.

Measures looking at perceptions of community engagement and fairness have also generally remained stable or shown improvements in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland since 2009/10^[76].

Across three of the six effectiveness measures, views improved in urban areas between 2008/09 and 2021/22 with the additional three remaining stable. Views in rural locations showed only one change, a significant decrease (down 4.6 percentage points) in confidence in the ability of police to catch criminals.

What did the public think about the level of police presence locally?

The SCJS includes a series of questions which explore the public’s views on the importance and awareness of police patrolling respondents’ local area^[77].

The proportion of adults who said they were aware that their area was regularly patrolled^[78] has fallen from a peak of 56% in 2012/13 to 39% in 2021/22 (unchanged from 2019/20), as shown in Figure 7.7.

Figure 7.7: The proportion of adults who were aware of regular patrols has fallen from a peak in 2012/13 but is unchanged since 2019/20.

Base: Adults who are not a serving police officer, married to or living with serving police officer (2009/10: 3,890; 2010/11: 3,180; 2012/13: 11,520; 2014/15: 11,180; 2016/17: 5,420; 2017/18: 5,360; 2018/19: 5,410; 2019/20: 5,450; 2021/22: 5,340); Variable: POLPATR.

As in previous years, Table 7.1 shows that adults living in the 15% most deprived areas were more likely than those in the rest of Scotland to report being aware of their area being patrolled regularly.

Table 7.1: Adults living in the most deprived areas were more likely to report being aware of police patrolling in their local area.

Public awareness of police patrolling in the local area.

Percentage of respondents aware of police patrol (including how patrolled)	15% most deprived areas	Rest of Scotland
Yes – total	52%	36%
Yes – on foot	12%	8%
Yes – by bicycle	3%	2%
Yes – by car	50%	35%
No	43%	58%
Number of respondents	760	4,590

Base: Adults who are not a serving police officer, married to or living with serving police officer; Variable: POLPATR.

In 2021/22, the population remained divided about whether the police presence in their area was sufficient. When asked about whether they thought the local police presence was sufficient, there was no significant difference between those who believed it was ‘about right’ and those who said it was ‘not enough’. Very few respondents typically report there is ‘too much’ of a police presence – for example, less than 1% in 2021/22.

The proportion of adults who felt the level of police presence was insufficient (‘not enough’) fell from 56% in 2009/10 to 46% in 2012/13, it then increased slightly before beginning to decrease from 2018/19 onwards, reaching 49% in 2021/22 which is 2% lower than 2019/20.

Those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland were less likely to believe that the police presence in their local area was ‘about right’, with 38% feeling this way compared to 49% in the rest of Scotland.

Those in rural locations were more likely to feel that the level of police presence was ‘about right’ (56% compared to 45% in urban areas). This may suggest that rural communities have different experiences and expectations of local policing.

At a national level, the most frequently cited reasons mentioned by those who thought that the level of police presence was insufficient were related to respondents not personally seeing the police enough on foot (73%), rarely seeing the police at all (52%), only ever seeing the police in cars (44%) and that there used to be more police around (34%).

In contrast, the most common reasons for saying the level of police presence was ‘about right’ related to a (perceived) lack of crime in the area, with some respondents also being content with seeing them in cars and feeling reassured by seeing the police at the current regularity.

How satisfied were people with their interactions with the police?

As noted in this chapter’s introduction, there has been a focus on the perceptions of the general public about policing. In this section, results from those who have had direct contact with the police are presented.

The SCJS explores experiences of contact respondents have had with the police in the last year. Follow-up questions to understand how individuals feel they were treated during their engagement are asked of respondents whose most recent contact with the police involved:

• reporting a crime
• contact through work
• being approached by the police while they carried out routine enquiries
• being questioned or searched
• reporting other matters

As with general attitudes towards the police, the quality of any contact with the police and individuals’ perceptions of whether they have been treated appropriately are amongst the factors which are likely to influence the level of confidence held in the police.

In 2021/22, the majority of people were fairly positive about their engagement with the police in relation to their most recent contact with the service. For example:

• 93% said they were dealt with in a very or fairly polite manner^[79]
• 85% felt they were treated fairly
• 67% believed the police showed as much interest as they should have in what respondents had to say
• 60% were very or quite satisfied with the way the police handled the matter

These results are consistent with previous years, showing no change from 2019/20.

Other surveys on public attitudes to policing

Police Scotland conduct two surveys on public opinions of policing:

• Your Police survey
• User Experience Survey (UES) – previously the User Satisfaction Survey (USS). This is conducted using a sample of people who have contacted the police to report a crime or incident

Although results are not directly comparable, results in recent years have shown the majority of respondents are satisfied with the response received and that they had been treated fairly and with respect, similar to the SCJS. More information on both these surveys can be found in the Quarter 1 2023/24 Performance report from Police Scotland.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has also recently started independent polling of public trust and confidence in the police. The results from the third wave of polling, conducted in July 2023, are available in a paper presented to the SPA Policing Performance Committee. These findings show that, of questions asked on both public trust and public confidence in the police, police in their local area received the highest level of response but both have seen a decrease compared to a year earlier (polling conducted in July 2022). More information is available on the SPA website.

Selected publications on factors that drive public confidence in the police

Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (2019), Questionnaire Development: Policing Review for a concise summary of how public confidence in the police is understood across relevant literature.

Bradford, B. and Myhill, A. (2015). Triggers of change to public confidence in the police and criminal justice system: Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales panel experiment. Criminology and Justice, 15(1), pp. 23-43.

Bradford, B., Jackson, J. and Stanko, E.A., (2009). Contact and confidence: Revisiting the impact of public encounters with the police. Policing & society, 19(1), pp. 20-46.

Stanko, E.A., Bradford, B. (2009). Beyond Measuring ‘How good a job’ Police are Doing: The MPS Model of Confidence in Policing. In Policing. Volume 3. Number 4, pp. 322-330.

What did the public think about the criminal justice system in Scotland?

The SCJS also collects information on public knowledge of and attitudes towards the criminal justice system in Scotland, as well as people’s contact with different organisations operating within the system^[80].

Consistent with previous SCJS results, in 2021/22 three-quarters (75%) of adults said they did not know very much or anything at all about the criminal justice system in Scotland. By contrast, only 3% said they knew a lot.

Regardless of their self-reported knowledge, respondents were asked about their confidence in the criminal justice system as a whole through a range of statements about the operation and performance of the system. As shown in Figure 7.8 below, the majority of people were either very or fairly confident about the delivery of the criminal justice system across a range of considerations.

For example, around three-quarters of adults were confident that the system allows all those accused of crimes to get a fair trial and that everyone is able to access the justice system if required (76% and 74%, respectively).

However, less than half (41%) were confident about the efficiency of the system and that appropriate sentences are given which fit the crime (41% confident).

Notwithstanding wording changes in the latter measure in recent years, it is important to note that confidence in both these indicators has increased since they were first included in the survey. For example, in 2008/09, 35% were confident the system deals with cases promptly and efficiently, compared to 41% in 2021/220.

More generally, Figure 7.8 shows the proportions who said they were confident or not confident in the criminal justice system, as well as those who responded don’t know – which represents a sizeable minority of respondents for some questions.

The full time-series showing fluctuations from year to year in results for confidence in the justice system are shown in Annex table A1.24.

Figure 7.8: The majority of people were either very or fairly confident about the delivery of the criminal justice system across a range of considerations.

Base: All adults (5,520); Variables: QDCONF_01 – QDCONF_15.

Confidence in the criminal justice system was stronger across most of the measures in 2021/22, or had otherwise shown no change compared to the first time each question was asked^[81].

The level of confidence that everyone has access to the justice system if they need it was adopted as a National Indicator in the Scottish Government’s refreshed National Performance Framework in 2018. The proportion of adults confident in this element of the justice system has increased from 70% in 2008/09 to 74% in 2021/22, with the latest result unchanged from the position in 2019/20.

How did views of the criminal justice system vary across the population?

For most of the measures exploring views on the justice system, younger adults (those aged 16 to 24) were more likely to be confident than those aged 60 and over. For example, 80% of those aged 16 to 24 were confident that the system makes sure everyone has access to the justice system if they need it, in comparison to 70% of those aged 60 and over.

Those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland (compared to those living elsewhere) were less likely to be confident in the justice system. For instance, 66% of adults living in the 15% most deprived areas were confident that the justice system makes fair, impartial decisions based on the evidence available compared to 76% of those living elsewhere.

Females were also less likely to be confident in the justice system than males, with a lower proportion who said they were confident on eight of the twelve measures.

In 2021/22, seven of the twelve confidence questions related to the criminal justice system showed a difference between victims of crime and non-victims. In these measures victims had less confidence than non-victims.

These results differ from findings in 2019/20, which showed little variation between these two groups and their confidence in the justice system however are in line with findings from previous years which have tended to detect lower confidence in the criminal justice system amongst victims of crime compared to non-victims.

How did the public view the prison system?

The SCJS also gathers information on attitudes towards prisons and community sentences to understand what the public thinks about processes to sentence and rehabilitate offenders. The specific wording used over time has changed in a number of the questions on this topic, limiting the ability to examine some trends over time^[82].

In addition, it is important to note that questions on attitudes towards prisons and community sentences within the SCJS are asked without reference to specific crime circumstances or offender backgrounds which may influence opinions about what constitutes a suitable sentence or approach. For example, findings from a Scottish Sentencing Council (2019) report on Public Perceptions of Sentencing showed how individuals’ awareness of mitigating circumstances or specific offences can shape how punitive a respondent is when asked about sentencing^[83].

The SCJS has previously sought to understand the public’s confidence in the effectiveness of prisons, however these questions were updated with effect from 2017/18 to now explore attitudes about what adults in Scotland believe prisons should do.

Table 7.2 shows that in 2021/22 the vast majority of adults agreed that prisons should provide support to prisoners to help them address any underlying issues, reduce re-offending and help them fit back into the community. Just over half (54%) agreed that only those who commit the most serious crimes should be put in prison.

The proportion agreeing that only those who commit the most serious crimes should be put in prison increased between and 2019/20 and 2021/22 (from 48% to 54%) and a lower proportion of adults agreed that prisons should provide support in order to prevent people committing more crime (92% in 2021/22 compared to 94% in 2019/20).

Table 7.2: The vast majority of adults agreed that prisons should provide support to prisoners to help them address any underlying issues, reduce re-offending and help them fit back into the community.

Attitudes towards the role of prisons.

Proportion of adults	Strongly/ slightly agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Strongly/ slightly disagree	Don’t know/ refused
Only those who have committed the most serious crimes should be put in prison	54%	12%	32%	2%
Prisons should help prisoners change their behaviour rather than just punish them	90%	5%	3%	2%
Prisons should provide support in order to prevent people committing more crime	92%	5%	2%	2%
Prisons should work with other organisations in the community to help prisoners fit back into the community	90%	5%	2%	2%
Homeless prisoners should be helped to find a place to live after they leave prison	90%	5%	3%	2%

Base: All adults (1,360); Variables: QPRIS3_01 – QPRIS3_05.

How did the public view community sentences?

The current questions on whether respondents agreed or disagreed with a series of statements relating to the purpose and operation of community sentences were developed in 2017/18. Results in 2021/22 show that:

• the vast majority of adults (89%) believed that people serving community sentences should be given support (such as help with addiction or mental health problems, or numeracy or literacy difficulties) to reduce the likelihood of them committing more crime in the future
• most people (82%) believed that people helping their community as part of a community sentence is an appropriate response for a minor offence rather than a short prison sentence
• over two-thirds (70%) believed that people who do not comply with the terms of their community sentence will be held to account
• around a quarter (24%) of adults believed that people who serve community sentences put the public at risk of crime

Respondents were also asked about their awareness and perceptions of unpaid work placements which can be completed as part of a community sentence. Just 14% of adults were aware of unpaid work placements being carried out in their area, although amongst those who were aware of them, 73% agreed that their area had benefitted. Further research could explore public awareness of unpaid work placements.

Attitudes to Police Scotland

A number of questions were added into the 2021/22 SCJS in order to give us a snapshot of respondents’ attitudes to Police Scotland.

Respondents were asked to think about policing overall in Scotland and to rate how good a job they thought Police Scotland was doing, 45% rated them either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, whilst 39% rated them ‘fair’. Adults aged 16-24 were more likely to rate Police Scotland ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (57%) when compared with those aged 25-44 (47%), aged 45-59 (43%) and those aged 60 and over (40%). A majority (81%) of respondents stated that they were ‘very confident’ or ‘fairly confident in the ability of the police in Scotland to keep people safe at large public events. When asked what had affected their view on how good a job Police Scotland are doing, respondents were most likely to answer ‘news programmes’ (40%), word of mouth/information from other people (38%) and ‘relatives’ and/or friends’ experiences (32%).

Respondents were also asked about Police Scotland’s use of social media. 73% said it was ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ important that Police Scotland communicated with the public using social media but only 38% said they had seen either a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of information provided to the public on social media, whilst 60% said they had seen ‘not very much’ or ‘none at all’.

Due to the development of the new Fraud and Computer misuse victim form, discussed further in Annex D, it was necessary to make reductions elsewhere in the survey. The decision was taken to remove these questions from the 2023/24 questionnaire. The content of the questionnaire is reviewed on an annual basis and decision to include these questions in future years will be based on user needs.