Profiling the police.(Opinion Pulse)

Public confidence in the ability of the police to protect people from violent crime is higher today than it was in the 1980s and early 1990s. In another poll, the police rank behind only the military, the top-ranked institution in American life, in terms of high confidence. Faith in the criminal justice system is considerably lower. Americans award higher prestige to being a police officer than they did in the past.

Question: How much confidence do you have...?

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

 
Question: Now I'm going to read you a list of institutions in 
American society. Please tell me how much...? 
 
Have a great deal/quite a lot of confidence in 
 
                              Rating when 
                      2004    first asked 
 
The military           75%     58% (1975) 
 
The police             64      52  (1993) 
 
Churches/ 
organized religion     53      66  (1973) 
 
Banks                  53      60  (1979) 
 
The Presidency         52      72  (1991) 
 
The U.S. 
Supreme Court          46      44  (1973) 
 
The medical 
system                 44      34  (1993) 
 
The public 
schools                41      58  (1973) 
 
The criminal 
justice ...