Confidence in the local police

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1. Main facts and figures

  • 78% of all adults had confidence in their local police in 2015/16, a clear increase from 2013/14, when the percentage was 76%

  • in every one of the last 3 years, Black Caribbeans had less confidence in the police compared to White British people

When the figures for the last 3 years are combined:

  • Mixed ethnic group adults and Black adults had markedly less confidence in the local police than White adults

  • Asian adults had the highest levels of confidence in the local police

Things you need to know

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is able to capture a broad range of victim-based crimes experienced by those interviewed, not just those that have been reported to, and recorded by, the police. However, there are some high harm but relatively lower-volume offences, such as homicide and sexual offences, which are not included in its main estimates.

Since October 2015, the survey has included fraud and computer misuse. However, as data from before this point is not available, the statistics and commentary presented here exclude fraud and computer misuse offences.

Estimates based on a larger number of respondents are generally more reliable. Therefore, the smaller numbers of respondents from ethnic minority backgrounds mean that estimates for these groups are less reliable than estimates for White people.

Estimates based on fewer than 50 responses are excluded, as they are also considered less reliable.

In some instances, 3 years' worth of CSEW data have been combined. This is because the number of people surveyed in a single year becomes too small to produce reliable estimates for the population as a whole when broken down both by ethnicity (in either detailed or broad categories) and by another factor like age, socio-economic group or sex.

Grouping years increases the number of respondents, increasing the reliability of the estimates.

CSEW is a sample survey and produces estimates with a margin of error around them, so users should consider this when interpreting data.

What the data measures

These figures are based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). The CSEW is a face-to-face survey in which people living in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of a selected range of criminal offences in the 12 months prior to the interview.

This data measures the proportion of the population who have overall confidence in the local police. Respondents are asked whether they agree or disagree with 6 specific statements relating to their perceptions of the local police:

  • the police can be relied upon when needed
  • the police would treat you with respect
  • the police would treat you fairly
  • the police understand local concerns
  • the police deal with local concerns
  • taking everything into account I have confidence in the police

Those who responded tending to agree or strongly agreeing with the statement ‘Taking everything into account I have confidence in the police in this area’ were judged to have overall confidence in the police.

Both victims and non-victims of crime are asked these questions.

The ethnic categories used in this data

Where possible, this data includes the 18 ethnic categories listed in the 2011 Census:

White:

  • English/ Welsh/ Scottish/ Northern Irish/ British
  • Irish
  • Gypsy, Traveller or Irish Traveller
  • Any other White background

Mixed/ Multiple ethnic groups:

  • White and Black Caribbean
  • White and Black African
  • White and Asian
  • Any other Mixed/ Multiple ethnic background

Asian/ Asian British:

  • Indian
  • Pakistani
  • Bangladeshi
  • Chinese
  • Any other Asian background

Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British:

  • African
  • Caribbean
  • Any other Black/ African/ Caribbean background

Other ethnic group:

  • Arab
  • Any other ethnic group

However, in cases where the number of people surveyed (the ‘sample size’) was too small to draw any firm conclusions, the CSEW breaks the data down into the following broader categories.

Either 5 ethnic categories:

  • White
  • Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups
  • Asian / Asian British
  • Black / African / Caribbean / Black British
  • Other ethnic group

Or 2 ethnic categories:

  • White and Other, that is, White ethnic groups (including White British and White ethnic minorities)
  • All other ethnic minorities

2. Confidence in the local police by ethnicity

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2013/14 to 2015/16
Source:
Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
Percentage and number of adults who had confidence in the police by ethnicity
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Ethnicity 2013/14 % 2013/14 Number 2014/15 % 2014/15 Number 2015/16 % 2015/16 Number
All 76 35,075 76 33,015 78 34,922
Asian 79 1,805 78 1,626 79 1,770
Bangladeshi 71 137 82 122 77 133
Chinese 77 168 77 134 80 171
Indian 83 759 81 665 81 712
Pakistani 72 397 71 385 75 425
Asian other 82 344 81 320 84 329
Black 70 946 71 894 73 882
Black African 75 555 77 523 79 518
Black Caribbean 62 346 60 314 62 303
Black other withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 45 65 57 62 61
Mixed 72 336 64 304 72 359
Mixed White/Asian 75 80 73 87 76 93
Mixed White/Black African withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 46 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 44 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 44
Mixed White/Black Caribbean 69 118 68 98 66 132
Mixed other 74 92 59 75 72 90
White 76 31,725 76 29,917 79 31,627
White British 75 29,836 75 28,209 78 29,685
White Irish 81 319 80 295 80 286
White Gypsy/Roma withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 12 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 10 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 15
White other 81 1,558 81 1,403 85 1,641
Other 77 232 77 231 81 241
Arab 79 88 82 82 80 86
Any other 76 144 73 149 81 155

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Confidence in the local police Confidence in the local police by ethnicity Summary

This data shows that:

  • in each of the 3 years covered by this data (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16) Black adults had markedly less confidence in the local police than White adults

  • in the 3 years (combined) covered by this data Mixed ethnic group adults had the least confidence and Asian adults had the most confidence in the local police

  • overall, the proportion of adults who had confidence in the local police was 78% in 2015/16, a clear increase from 76% in 2013/14

  • in all the 3 years covered by this data (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16), Black Caribbean adults had less confidence in the local police compared to White British adults. Sample sizes are too small to draw firm conclusions for other ethnic groups.

  • in all the 3 years covered by this data (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16), people from any Other Asian and any Other White background had more confidence in the local police than White British adults

3. Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2013/14 to 2015/16 (3 years combined)
Source:
Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
Percentage and number of adults who had confidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender
All Female Male
Ethnicity All % All Number Female % Female Number Male % Male Number
Asian 79 5,201 79 2,615 79 2,586
Black 71 2,722 73 1,579 69 1,143
Mixed 69 999 68 587 71 412
White 77 93,269 78 50,972 76 42,297
Other 78 704 78 336 78 368

Download table data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)

Summary of Confidence in the local police Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender Summary

This data shows that:

  • when the figures for all 3 years were combined, the data showed a difference in confidence levels between men and women within ethnic groups: in the Black population, there was a bigger gap between the confidence felt by women (higher confidence) and men (lower) than there was in the White population

  • Sample sizes are too small to draw firm conclusions for the Mixed ethnic group

4. Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2013/14 to 2015/16 (3 years combined)
Source:
Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
Percentage and number of adults who had confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age
Asian Black Mixed White Other
Age group Asian % Asian Number Black % Black Number Mixed % Mixed Number White % White Number Other % Other Number
16-24 76 567 63 282 70 204 75 6,515 73 89
25-34 77 1,354 69 534 71 254 76 12,583 82 176
35-44 80 1,450 78 713 63 223 76 14,087 81 193
45-54 77 797 67 610 64 158 75 16,020 74 112
55-64 83 540 78 282 74 71 75 15,576 72 63
65-74 84 351 80 162 81 61 78 15,692 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 43
75+ 87 142 84 139 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 28 84 12,796 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 28

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age’ (CSV)

Summary of Confidence in the local police Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age Summary

When the figures for the last 3 years are combined:

  • around three-quarters of adults in the youngest age group (16 to 24) had confidence in the local police – this was the lowest proportion found in any age group

  • adults aged 75 and over were most likely to have confidence in the local police

  • Black people aged 16 to 24 had the least confidence in the local police and Asian people aged 75 and over had the most confidence in the local police

  • within the Mixed ethnic group, people aged 35 to 44 had the least confidence, a clear difference from White adults in this age range

5. Confidence in the police by ethnicity and socio-economic group

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2013/14 to 2015/16 (3 years combined)
Source:
Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
Percentage and number of adults (16+) who had confidence in the local police by ethnicity and socio-economic group
Asian Black Mixed White Other
Socio-economic group Asian % Asian Number Black % Black Number Mixed % Mixed Number White % White Number Other % Other Number
Managerial and professional occupations 78 1,639 69 794 65 335 80 32,012 77 194
Intermediate occupations 76 1,070 69 467 74 198 77 22,083 75 123
Routine and manual occupations 79 1,454 76 985 64 307 74 33,433 81 177
Never worked and long-term unemployed 85 578 73 231 75 55 69 2,801 82 104
Full-time students 79 420 65 223 80 99 80 2,448 77 105
Not classified withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 40 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 22 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 5 73 492 withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable 1

Data withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable

Download table data for ‘Confidence in the police by ethnicity and socio-economic group’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Confidence in the police by ethnicity and socio-economic group’ (CSV)

Summary of Confidence in the local police Confidence in the police by ethnicity and socio-economic group Summary

When the figures for the last 3 years are combined, this data shows that:

  • full-time students from most ethnic groups shared similar levels of confidence in the local police, with the exception of Black people, who had markedly less confidence than White people

  • within routine and manual occupations, White adults had more confidence in the local police than adults from a Mixed ethnic background, but less confidence than adults from the Other ethnic background

  • within intermediate occupations (e.g. clerical, sales, service), White adults had more confidence in the local police than Black adults

  • within managerial and professional occupations, White adults had more confidence in the local police than Black adults and people from a Mixed ethnic background

  • among the Never worked and long-term unemployed group, White adults had the lowest levels of confidence of any group

  • White people in the long-term unemployed category had less confidence than White people in any other socio-economic group

6. Methodology

The data is all drawn from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which is a continuous survey, and broken down by ethnic group, as reported by survey respondents.

CSEW estimates are based on analysis of structured face-to-face interviews carried out using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). Data are weighted and two stages are used in the weighting of the CSEW sample. In 2015/16, the response rate was 72%.

The CSEW is a household sample survey and, as such, estimates are based on a representative sample of the population of England and Wales aged 16 and over. A sample, as used in the CSEW, is a small-scale representation of the population from which it is drawn.

The CSEW collects information from approximately 35,000 households each year. Since those responses reflect only a fraction of the total population of England and Wales, a procedure is used to give different weights to different households and individuals based on their sex, age and regional composition in such a way that the weighted distribution of responding household and individuals in these households matches the known distribution in the population as a whole.

First, weights are applied to the raw data to compensate for unequal address selection probabilities (given some areas are more populated than others), to compensate for the observed variation in response rates between different types of neighbourhood, to compensate for situations in which only one dwelling unit can be selected in multiple ‘dwelling unit' households, and to account for different probabilities of a respondent being selected based on different sized households.

Second, calibration weighting is used to make adjustments for known differentials in response rates between different regions and between different age by six sub-groups.

Suppression rules and disclosure control

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is a household sample survey and, as such, estimates are based on a representative sample of the population of England and Wales aged 16 and over. A sample, as used in the CSEW, is a small-scale representation of the population from which it is drawn. The CSEW collects information from approximately 35,000 households each year. Since those responses reflect only a fraction of the total population of England and Wales, a procedure is used to give different weights to different households and individuals based on their sex / age / region composition in such a way that the weighted distribution of responding household and individuals in these households matches the known distribution in the population as a whole. First, weights are applied to the raw data to compensate for unequal address selection probabilities (given, some areas are more populated than others), to compensate for the observed variation in response rates between different types of neighbourhood, to compensate for situations in which only one dwelling unit can be selected in multiple ‘dwelling unit' households and to account for different probabilities of a respondent being selected based on different sized households. Second, calibration weighting is used to make adjustments for known differentials in response rates between different regions and between different age by sex sub-groups. Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales have National Statistics status. National Statistics are a subset of official statistics which have been certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its Code of Practice for Official Statistics, including requirements on disclosure control. Estimates based on a number of respondents (known as the 'unweighted base') that is less than 50 are suppressed as these estimates are deemed to be less reliable.

Rounding

Estimates in the charts and tables are given to the nearest whole number but more detailed estimates to 1dp are available in the download

Further technical information

Accuracy: Since the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is based on a sample of the population, estimates have a margin of quantifiable and non-quantifiable error associated with them. Non-quantifiable error includes: •when respondents have recalled crimes in the reference period that actually occurred outside that period •crimes that did occur in the reference period that were not mentioned at all (either because respondents failed to recall a fairly trivial incident or, conversely, because they did not want to disclose an incident, such as a domestic assault) •respondents saying they reported crimes to police when they did not (a “socially desirable” response) •some incidents reported during the interview being miscoded (‘interviewer or coder error’) Coverage issues: The CSEW does not cover those living in communal establishments (such as care homes, student halls of residence and prisons), or crimes against commercial or public sector bodies.

7. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Survey data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Office for National Statistics

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is a face-to-face survey in which people living in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of a selected range of criminal offences in the 12 months prior to the interview.

The CSEW is able to capture a broad range of victim-based crimes experienced by those interviewed, not just those that have been reported to, and recorded by, the police.

8. Download the data

Confidence in the police - Spreadsheet (csv) 113 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, geography, gender, socio-economic status, value, denominator

Publication release date: 10 October 2017

full page history
  1. First published

From: Office for National Statistics

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