The Slovenian public’s views on the police

Studies that put Slovenia in a comparable context of European countries show that Slovenia lags behind traditional European democracies in terms of the degree of confidence expressed in the institutions of the democratic system. Trust in institutions whose assessments are not merely situational depends primarily on the context shaped by the political culture and the democratic tradition of the country. In particular, support for the legal system and repressive institutions coincides with the state of political culture. All comparative research shows that Slovenia is closer in terms of confidence in these institutions to new democracies of post-transitional societies than to established democracies, but with a recognisable trend of “moving away” from the transition pattern, which is mainly reflected in the growing trust in key institutions of the democratic system. The survey “Policy of the Slovenian public on the police” carried out by the Centre for Research on Public Opinion and Mass Communications of the Faculty of Social Sciences contains model variables that enable the identification and assessment of the factors of forming the attitude of the public towards an institution such as the police. The survey instrument includes questions that measure overall satisfaction or trust in the Slovenian police, as well as questions — variables with which we measure the attitude and estimates of respondents about specific attributes and activities of the police.