Lack of trust in politicians was a significant factor behind the riots that erupted in England this month, according to an academic report expected to be studied by the Government.

Although poverty and lax moral values played a part in people's decision to join the disturbances, a stronger influence was their attitude towards politicians, researchers at Essex University and Royal Holloway University of London found.

The findings will be studied by a panel being set up by the Government to look into the causes of the riots and a separate inquiry by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee. The verdict will be a bitter pill for many politicians to swallow. Some on the left have blamed the riots on deprivation and the Coalition's spending cuts, while many on the right, including David Cameron, have highlighted the lack of responsibility in Britain's "broken society".

According to the report, entitled There will be burning and a-looting tonight, politicians are seen as "a class apart" who abide by their own rules. It warns that tough measures to punish rioters such as withdrawing their state benefits - backed by Tory ministers - are likely to backfire. Such penalties could "further alienate some sections of society from the public realm" and "compound the problem of public disorder rather than addressing it".

The authors say political factors behind the riots could include "middle-class looting" by bankers in the financial crisis as well as the MPs' expenses scandal. They may have "made it more acceptable for everyone else to 'take' what they wanted, when they wanted it". Another factor could be mistrust of the police, creating "alienation".

The research, based on opinion polls and focus group discussions, was under way before the riots, but provides a unique insight into the minds of those who took to the streets. Data about people's general willingness to break the law was analysed to test the three most common explanations for the riots.

Riots Stoked By Mistrust Of Politicians Says Report