Statistics Canada Findings on Confidence in the police, the justice system and courts

A few weeks ago, Statistics Canada reported on the level of confidence of different population groups in the Federal Parliament, the justice system and courts, the police, and the Canadian media:

"Having a high level of confidence in the Federal Parliament, the justice system and courts, the police, and the Canadian media can be seen as a vital measure for assessing the health of democracy in Canada. Confidence in these institutions reflects the sense that they are safe, effective, transparent and accountable."

"From October 2022 to January 2023, about two-thirds (67%) of Canadians reported having a high level of confidence in the police. This was a greater proportion than other institutions, such as the justice system and courts (51%), the Federal Parliament (36%) and the Canadian media (33%)."

"In the context of increased diversity and immigration being the main driver of population growth in Canada, it is relevant to investigate if different groups of the population share these views similarly."

"Using preliminary data from the Survey Series on People and their Communities, this report examines whether racialized and non-racialized, non-Indigenous people in Canada have differing levels of confidence in public institutions ..."

Among the findings:

• Most racialized groups report higher levels of confidence in the justice system and courts than non-racialized, non-Indigenous people
• Southeast Asian, Black and Japanese people are less likely to report confidence in police
• Recent immigrants are most likely to report high level of confidence in the Canadian media and the Federal Parliament