This report details the results of the Department of Justice’s first Criminal Justice Public Attitudes Survey. The nationally representative survey provides an overview of public confidence in the Irish criminal justice system and perceptions of crime and community safety in Ireland. A sample of 1,518 adults aged 18 and over in Ireland were interviewed through face-to-face interviews in December 2022 and January 2023. The survey sample was representative of the total Irish population based on gender, age, social class and region. Results have been analysed by key subgroups such as demographics, deprivation score and previous interactions with the criminal justice system. When relevant, comparisons have been made with the 2021 results.

Overall half (50%) of the total survey population stated that they had a lot or some confidence in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole, significantly up from 45% in 2021. Confidence was higher amongst those in more affluent areas (67%), while lower among those with a recent interaction with the system (43%) and those with a lower understanding of the system (36%). Compared to the 2021 survey, more people considered different crime types to be a problem in their local area. Of the areas of crime listed, people using or dealing drugs was considered to be the biggest problem in people’s local area with more than half (55%) perceiving this to be a problem, up from 51% in 2021. Almost half (45%) perceived burglary or theft to be a problem in their local area (up from 39%). 37% considered vandalism and other deliberate damages to be a problem in their local area, with a similar proportion (35%) reporting problems with drunken/rowdy behaviour in public places.