Public Confidence Attitude Formation Toward the Police in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan: Similarities and Differences

Abstract

While public attitudes toward the police have been extensively researched in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan over the past three decades, no comparative study has documented the similarities and differences in how citizens’ confidence in the police is sustained in these East Asian democratic societies. Additionally, research into the simultaneous impact of instrumental, expressive, and normative models on public assessment of police in Asian societies remains limited. Given the introduction of Western policing philosophies into East Asian societies since the 1990s, there is reason to believe that these models may vary in their relevance in Japanese, South Korean, and Taiwanese contexts. This study utilizes convenience sampling-based online survey data collected in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in 2022, with 2248 completed questionnaires for in-depth analyses. The results show that Taiwan has the highest level of confidence in the police, followed by Japan and South Korea, respectively. Notably, adherence to procedural justice, police effectiveness, and residential stability significantly increase citizen confidence in the police across all three countries. While the likelihood of sanctions for wrongdoers tends to increase Japanese confidence in their police, the perception of safety concern and distributive justice positively impacts confidence in the police among Taiwanese citizens.