When trust turns digital: why relational cues matter in online crime-reporting portals

Jackson, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0003-2426-2219, Bradford, Ben ORCID: 0000-0001-5480-5638, Chan, Angus and Lee, Youngsub (2025) When trust turns digital: why relational cues matter in online crime-reporting portals. Journal of Experimental Criminology. ISSN 1573-3750 (In Press)

Text (When Trust Turns Digital - revised manuscript - CrimRXiv) - Accepted Version Pending embargo until 1 January 2100. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (672kB)

Abstract

Objectives: To test whether trust in the police (a) improves the online crime-reporting experience and (b) increases support for digital reporting. To examine whether a procedurally just follow-up email and primed motivations enhance or amplify these effects. Methods: In a 2×2×2×2 factorial experiment, 638 UK participants reported a hypothetical crime online. Experimental conditions: trust prime, reporting motivation, follow-up communication and crime type. Outcomes: user experience (fair and efficient) and support for online reporting. Results: Most participants felt the experience was fair and efficient. Support for online reporting was generally high. The trust prime improved both user experience and support. A procedurally-just follow-up email increased support but did not interact with trust. Motivation and crime type had no measurable effects. Conclusions: Systems that engage trust help users interpret impersonal processes as procedurally fair and efficient. Lacking such cues, online reporting risks being a hollow transaction—undermining police legitimacy.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Methodology
Subjects:	K Law
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2025 15:42
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2025 08:45
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129907

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