Perceptions of Democracy and Confidence in the Criminal Justice System: A Comparison between Mainland China and Taiwan

• In Event: Police Work and Perceptions of Police/Criminal Justice System in Various Cultural Contexts

Abstract

For more than fifty years, research has been accumulating on how regime differences impact Mainland China and Taiwan in terms of socioeconomic transformation, the development of politics and constitutions, and diverse issues of foreign policy. Much less is known, however, about differences in public confidence in the criminal justice system. To address this gap, this study utilized second wave data collected by the Asian Barometer cross-national survey from 2005 to 2008. Findings demonstrate that public perceptions of the degree of democracy do matter. The data indicate that Chinese citizens hold higher levels of trust in criminal justice institutions than their Taiwanese counterparts. Citizens acknowledging more satisfaction with institutional performance also tend to support the criminal justice system.

Authors

• Ming-Li Hsieh, Washington State University

• Francis Danso Boateng, Washington State University