Wrongful convictions?
Think tank: The Policy Institute
Author(s): Professor Bobby Duffy
August 17, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute examines misperceptions of crime among the UK public.
Most crime in England and Wales is falling – but the public think it’s rising. In fact, they are wrong about crime on nearly every measure: from how many people fall victim, to the ethnicity and nationality of offenders, and whether police numbers have increased or decreased, according to a major new study from the Policy Institute at King’s College London.
Based on two surveys of 1,797 and 2,164 UK adults, carried out with YouGov between 23 and 27 March 2026, Wrongful convictions? Misperceptions about crime among the UK public finds that while mistaken beliefs about crime are not confined to one political party, Reform UK supporters stand out as consistently most wrong – particularly on the ethnicity of those convicted of serious offences and the share of prisoners and offenders who are foreign nationals.
The study – part of a new research series called Mistaken Britain – also shows why these incorrect beliefs matter, with those who hold misperceptions about crime more likely to feel there is “two-tier justice” in the UK, more sceptical of the government’s ability to deal with crime, and more supportive of harsher, more punitive crime policies.
