Law students' trust in the courts and the police

• Law students' trust in the police and courts is formed not only through their studies.
• Trust in the police and the courts follow the zeitgeist of a society.
• Personal experiences and those of family and friends contribute to trust or distrust.
• The media are among the factors influencing how much law students trust the police and the courts.

Law students prepare for a legal career and it is therefore of general interest, how much trust they have in the police and the courts. Their views may be influenced by their studies, media consumption, direct experience and other factors. In a previous study it appears as if law students are becoming more critical over the course of their studies. This explorative questionnaire study compares the views of 2012 final year undergraduate law students with the answers the same cohort gave in 2010, when starting their studies, and with final year law students 2010. Contrary to our expectation, the final year law students of 2012 showed more trust in courts and police than their predecessors 2010. The data suggest that the study of law, personal experiences and those of family and friends, as well as media effects are among the factors forming trust in the institutions.