The Socialising Legality Study
At a glance
- Scope: Nine schools across England, Japan and Italy
- Design: A six-wave longitudinal study with in-school data collection
- Current stage: Wave 4 of six, as of 7 October 2026
- Focus: Legal socialisation, trust in the police and attitudes towards extra-legal governance
- Approach: Repeated measures to examine within-person change
Why this matters
Young people's attitudes towards institutions, crime, and criminal groups are shaped by experiences with family, peers, schools, neighbourhoods, and authorities. Our longitudinal design follows the same students over time, revealing how beliefs form, shift, and consolidate - and under which social and psychological conditions.
Countries and schools
The study involves two schools in England, two in Japan and five in Italy.
Study progress and reports
The study is ongoing and is currently at wave 4 of a planned six waves. Reports have been provided to participating schools and police forces. These reports are not currently public.
Status confirmed on 7 October 2026.
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