Exploring the Digital Shift in Crime Reporting: A Study of In-Person and Online Preferences in the Context of Police Legitimacy and Trust in E-Governance and Technology

Abstract

This research examines factors influencing citizens’ crime reporting preference—in-person versus online. We explore the influence of police related variables such as legitimacy, fear of the police, and fear of victimization, as well as technology-related variables that include tech-acceptance, trust in e-governance tools, and smartphone dependency. The data for the study came from a survey of 570 university students from St. Petersburg, Russia. Findings from ordinary least squares analysis indicate that police legitimacy is positively related to willingness to report in-person and through technology. Conversely, fear of the police is negatively associated with in-person reporting but positively related to reporting via technology. Technology-related variables, including acceptance, dependency, and trust in e-governance, are positively associated with willingness to report in the overall model. However, in the full model, police legitimacy remains only marginally significant in explaining willingness to report using technology. The implications of these findings are discussed in enhancing citizens’ reporting preferences amidst the inevitable technology creep into crime prevention and criminal justice administration.