Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the reasons for the low utilization of the witness testimony system in Korea while also seeking ways to enhance witnesses' willingness to testify. An online experiment was conducted with a total of 600 participants, with 150 individuals allocated to each of the four conditions based on nationality (Korean vs. British) and anonymity (anonymous vs. real-name). Participants responded to questions about their experiences and perceptions related to criminal cases (experience witnessing crimes, experience with identification procedures, knowledge of identification procedures) and perceptions (civic consciousness, police trust). They then read a crime (murder) scenario and an explanation of the anonymity/real-name condition and responded to a willingness-to-testify scale (5-point Likert scale). Results indicated that there were differences in experiences and perceptions based on nationality. British participants had more actual experience with incidents and participated more in witness identification procedures compared to Korean participants, and they exhibited higher civic consciousness and police trust. These results provide explanations for the differences in willingness to testify between countries and offer strategic insights for improving the willingness to testify among witnesses in Korea. Furthermore, an analysis of covariance using criminal case-related experiences and perceptions as covariates confirmed the main effects of nationality and anonymity, controlling for the effects of related variables. British participants showed a higher willingness to testify than Korean participants, and the willingness to testify was higher under the anonymous condition than the real-name condition. Additionally, an interaction effect between nationality and anonymity was observed. Under the anonymous condition, there was no difference in willingness to testify between British and Korean participants. However, under the real-name condition, British participants had a significantly higher willingness to testify than Korean participants. This suggests that although Koreans generally have a lower willingness to testify compared to British individuals, the willingness increases when the risk of identity exposure is reduced. The results of this study emphasize the importance of witness protection policies, such as an anonymous testimony system in Korea, suggesting the potential to increase willingness to testify through such institutional improvements.