Legitimacy from the perspective of the population

The research focuses on the legitimacy of institutions that are crucial for democracy – more specifically laws, police, and justice – from the perspective of the population residing in the city of São Paulo. Empirically, we investigate the following questions: What drives the population to obey and acknowledge the validity of these institutions? What are the consequences of acknowledging legitimacy? How do everyday experiences (such as contact with authorities, place of residence, socioeconomic profile, and exposure to victimization) influence the legitimacy of laws as well as the legitimacy of security and justice authorities?

To answer these questions, the research makes use of quantitative instruments, such as cross-sectional surveys with representative samples of city residents (2015 and 2019) and a longitudinal survey with residents from 8 neighborhoods in São Paulo (2015, 2017, and 2018). The surveys include questions about the neighborhood, quality of public services, interpersonal trust, social capital, victimization, fear, attitudes toward the law, experiences and perceptions about the police and justice, institutional trust, and a sociodemographic profile.