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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toConfidence in the local police by ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toConfidence in the local police by ethnicity and gender section
- 4. Navigate toConfidence in the local police by ethnicity and age section
- 5. Navigate toConfidence in the police by ethnicity and socio-economic group section
- 6. Navigate to Methodology section
- 7. Navigate to Data sources section
- 8. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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78% of all adults had confidence in their local police in 2015/16, a clear increase from 2013/14, when the percentage was 76%
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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:
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Mixed ethnic group adults and Black adults had markedly less confidence in the local police than White adults
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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
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 |
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:
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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:
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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
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Sample sizes are too small to draw firm conclusions for the Mixed ethnic group
4. Confidence in the local police by ethnicity and age
Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | ||||||
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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 |
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:
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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
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adults aged 75 and over were most likely to have confidence in the local police
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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
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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
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 |
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:
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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
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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
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within intermediate occupations (e.g. clerical, sales, service), White adults had more confidence in the local police than Black adults
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within managerial and professional occupations, White adults had more confidence in the local police than Black adults and people from a Mixed ethnic background
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among the Never worked and long-term unemployed group, White adults had the lowest levels of confidence of any group
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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
Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2016
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
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, geography, gender, socio-economic status, value, denominator