Judicial Performance and Trust in Legal Systems: Findings from a Decade of Surveys in over Twenty European Countries

Objective. Determining the existence of a relationship between judicial performance and citizens’ trust in the legal system. Method. Cross-classified multilevel models, using data from more than 20 European countries, 80 surveys, and 100,000 respondents, over a decade. Results. The longer the time that lower courts take, on average, to dispose of pending cases, the lower is the public’s trust in their legal system. Conclusion. Judicial performance, operationalized as the ability of courts to avoid delays in the delivery of justice, is a significant correlate of citizens’ evaluations of their country’s legal system.

研究目标：探究司法性能与公民对法律体系信任程度之间是否存在关联。研究方法：采用跨分类多级模型，基于超过20个欧洲国家的数据，包括80份调查和10万名受访者，历时十年。研究结果：下级法院平均处理未决案件所需时间越长，公众对其法律体系的信任度就越低。研究结论：司法性能，即法院避免司法服务延误的能力，是公民对其国家法律体系评价的重要关联因素。