Russian citizens' perceptions of corruption and trust of the police

Since 1991, Russian citizens' perception of the police has been consistently overwhelmingly negative. Both direct and vicarious citizen experiences with the police were examined to identify potential factors that may explain the pervasive and persistent negative perceptions. An original survey of citizens (N=509) was analysed with structural equation modelling techniques to determine how various forms of corruption (including bribery, unfair treatment and abuse of power), and social class standing influenced perceptions. Experiences with corruption had significant negative correlations with police trust. Trust was found to be independent of social class position. Bribery and abuse of power had significant co-variations with unfair treatment. Citizens actively avoid any police contact; therefore, their perceptions appear to be predominately influenced by a lack of institutional trust. The findings are consistent with the extant research.