Public Image of Courts, 1977: Special Publics Data

This data collection and its companion study, PUBLIC IMAGE OF COURTS, 1977: GENERAL PUBLIC DATA (ICPSR 7703), were undertaken to explore attitudes toward courts and justice. These surveys sought to measure perceptions of and experiences with local, state, and federal courts as well as general attitudes toward the administration of justice and legal actors. The general objectives of the studies were to (1) determine levels of public knowledge of courts, (2) test reactions to situations that might, or might not, prompt recourse to courts, (3) determine the incidence, nature, and evaluations of court experience, (4) describe and account for evaluations of court performance, (5) indicate attitudes toward legal actors, and (6) indicate reactions to alternative means of dispute resolution. Two samples were drawn: a national sample of the general public (ICPSR 7703) and a "special publics" sample of judges, lawyers, and community leaders. The 1,112 respondents in the special publics sample were interviewed by a group of interviewers described as "retired business executives specially trained to interview leadership groups."