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Do Citizens Know How to Deal with Legal Issues? Some Empirical Insights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2008

ALEXY BUCK ,
PASCOE PLEASENCE  and
NIGEL J. BALMER
ALEXY BUCK
Affiliation:
Legal Services Research Centre, Legal Services Commission, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London SWIP 2HT email: alexy.buck@legalservices.gov.uk
PASCOE PLEASENCE
Affiliation:
Legal Services Research Centre, Legal Services Commission and Faculty of Laws, University College, London
NIGEL J. BALMER
Affiliation:
Legal Services Research Centre, Legal Services Commission and Faculty of Laws, University College, London
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Abstract

Over recent years there has been increasing policy concern in the UK about whether citizens are equipped with sufficient legal ‘know-how’. In January 2006, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, now Ministry of Justice, announced a Public Legal Education and Support Task Force to develop and promote the case for a national strategy. This comes after UK government strategies have recently been developed for both consumer education and financial capability. Drawing on empirical data, this article explores whether there is indeed a lack of awareness and confidence among the population of England and Wales in regard to legal issues. The results from the English and Welsh Civil and Social Justice Survey, a large-scale face-to-face survey representative of the population, illustrate the case for targeted as well as general public legal education initiatives.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , October 2008 , pp. 661 - 681
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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