Sentencing Disparity and Trust

I propose a survey experiment to answer the question as to whether (information about) sentencing disparity among judges affects public trust in institutions. In particular, I provide citizens with statistics about sentencing decisions, and in doing so, I exogenously vary the presenting court and, thus, the magnitude of the observed sentencing disparity. The source of variation comes from the fact that sentencing disparity among judges within a court differs across courts, i.e., while at some courts, there is significant sentencing disparity; at others, there is no sentencing disparity observed. The intended measurable outcomes include a mix of self-reported and behavioral measures that focus on institutional trust (towards legal systems and other institutions) and other economic outcomes that are likely affected by institutional trust: willingness to apply to the court, demand for alternative dispute resolution, and policy preferences. This project thus addresses an important topic of the causes of institutional (dis)trust and aims to contribute to the discussion that has recently become of high relevance for policymakers.