Citizens’ trust in the justice system and its actors: a view from Belgium

• In Event: Rehabilitation and trust in the judiciary

Abstract

The trust of citizens in their justice system is crucial in every society, both for the effectiveness and the legitimacy of the administration of justice. In Belgium, the so-called ‘Justice Barometer’ was developed by academics in 2002 and further administered by the High Council of Justice since 2007. This quantitative opinion survey examines how Belgian citizens view the justice system, and was previously conducted in 2007, 2010 and 2014. In 2024, a representative sample of the Belgian population over the age of 15 was once again surveyed by telephone about their attitudes towards the justice system. In addition to a general section that included questions about the functioning of the justice system, lawyers and judges, citizens were also asked about several aspects of civil and criminal law.

In this presentation, the main conclusions of the most recent Justice Barometer are reviewed, both regarding the general attitude towards justice and concerning major aspects of the criminal law section. These results are compared with those from previous surveys in Belgium, and situated within a broader European context of empirical work. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for further public opinion research regarding the justice system and for the purpose of judicial policy-making.

Authors

• Charlotte François, KU Leuven

• Stephan Parmentier, KU Leuven