Att förklara tillit till polisen : En studie om första och andra generationens invandrares tillit till den svenska polisen

Sammanfattning: This thesis presents a quantitative study of trust in the police amongst first and second-generation immigrants in Sweden. Previous research suggests that the most socio-economically vulnerable groups in society trust the police the least. People with immigrant backgrounds tend to a larger extent belong to these groups. Yet, few studies have examined trust in the police amongst immigrants within a Swedish context. The aim of this study is divided into two parts. Firstly, the study aims to examine if there are differences in trust in the police between first and second-generation immigrants, and the majority population of Sweden. Secondly, there is an attempt to explain any differences found using the procedural justice model and performance theory. Using data from the European Social Survey (n = 1497), a series of regression analyses are performed to first examine differences between the groups, and then examine whether perceptions of procedural justice and police performance have a mediating effect on first and second-generation immigrants' trust in the police. The findings suggest that first generation immigrants report slightly higher trust in the police, while second generation immigrants report lower levels of trust. Further, perceptions of procedural justice do not mediate trust in the police amongst those with immigrant backgrounds. However, perceptions of police performance mediate both first and second-generation immigrants’ trust in the police, but in opposite directions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion about key findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.