Recent decades have witnessed the punitive drift experienced by juvenile justice. Paradoxically, this displacement has not been due to an increase in juvenile delinquency, but has been largely justified by social demands. The impact of public opinion on recent criminal policy has made it one of the main lines of research into current criminology. This work therefore aims to systematise and discuss national and international scientific evidence, identifying the limitations and challenges facing this field of study. Initially, the characteristic elements of attitudes are described and their main explanatory factors are analysed. The methodological approaches used are then reviewed, examining their most important possibilities and drawbacks. Finally, we assess the theoretical and methodological implications that emerge from the work, providing significant elements for its future development.