Adolescents’ confidence in institutions: Do America’s youth differentiate between legal and social institutions?

Fine, Adam; Kan, Emily; Cauffman, Elizabeth

doi:10.1037/dev0000760

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…The number of youth who responded to the perceptions of law enforcement item by race/ethnicity include 69,900 White (years 1976–2016), 9,411 non-White (years 1976–2004), 2,598 Black (years 2005–2016), and 3,406 Hispanic (years 2005–2016). Previous research indicates that youth in these data differentiate between law enforcement and other types of authority (Fine, Kan, & Cauffman, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Youth Perceptions of Law Enforcement and Worry About Crime from 1976 to 2016

Fine

Donley

Cavanagh

et al. 2020

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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Recent unjust interactions between law enforcement and youth of color may have provoked a “crisis” in American law enforcement. Utilizing Monitoring the Future’s data on distinct, cross-sectional cohorts of 12th graders from each year spanning 1976–2016, we examined whether youth perceptions of law enforcement have changed. We also traced youth worry about crime considering declining perceptions of law enforcement may correspond with increasing worry about crime. Across decades, White youth consistently perceived law enforcement the most positively and worried least about crime, followed by Hispanic/Latinx then Black/African American youth. During the 1990s, among all youth, perceptions of law enforcement declined while worry about crime increased. However, recently, such trends were limited to White youth; among youth of color, perceptions of law enforcement declined while worry about crime remained largely stable. Problematically, youth perceptions of law enforcement recently reached a decades-long low and racial/ethnic gaps in perceptions appear to be growing.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Youth Perceptions of Law Enforcement and Worry About Crime from 1976 to 2016

Fine

Donley

Cavanagh

et al. 2020

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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“…In the context of development, adolescence is a period of substantial cognitive and social change that enables abstract thinking and critical judgments about the fairness of rules and authorities (Amemiya et al, 2020 ; Fine et al, 2019 ). Experiences with school authorities often serve as a child’s first encounter with non-parental rules and punishments (Tyler & Trinkner, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Questions remain as to how and to what extent these early experiences with nonlegal authorities are associated with attitudes towards legal authorities later in the life course. The majority of research has assessed the direct effects of teacher- or school-related variables on perceptions of police, namely police legitimacy (Ferdik et al, 2014 ; Fine et al, 2019 ; Nivette et al, 2021 ; Trinkner & Cohn, 2014 ; Wu et al, 2015 ). These studies tend to assume that experiences with school authorities can be “generalized” to other authorities (Resh & Sabbagh, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fair Teachers, Fair Police? Assessing the Pathways between Perceptions of Teacher and Police Authority in Childhood and Adolescence

Nivette

Obsuth

Ribeaud

et al. 2021

J Youth Adolescence

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Existing research has shown that the quality of the relationship between teacher and child is associated with more positive perceptions of school authorities. There has been relatively less attention to the processes that connect attitudes towards different sources of authority, such as between teachers and police. The current study uses a counterfactual approach to estimate the direct and indirect effects of teacher–child relationships on children’s later perceptions of police legitimacy. Using data from a longitudinal study of youth in Zurich, Switzerland, this study applies non-bipartite propensity score matching to identify matched pairs (n = 232 pairs, 55% male) of children with better versus worse relationships with their teacher at age 11 following a teacher change. Matched pairs were then compared on potential mediators (moral norms about deviant behavior and low self-control) at age 13 and perceptions of police legitimacy at age 15. The results demonstrate the importance of the quality of the relationships between students and teachers in shaping young people’s interpersonal characteristics as well as perceptions of the world around them. Namely, if young people feel that they are being treated fairly by their teachers, they are more likely to distinguish behaviors that are right or wrong (moral norms) and control their actions (self-control). Moreover, as a result they are also more likely to perceive authorities such as police as legitimate agents that facilitate societal order.

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“…Indeed, creating a deliberative climate in a school or classroom, that is, a culture of fairness, is associated with positive outcomes among students (as reviewed in Tyler & Trinkner, ). As adolescents' confidence in social authorities, such as schools, has been shown to be greater than their confidence in legal authorities (Fine, Kan, & Cauffman, ), teachers may have a unique amount of power to shape adolescents' orientation toward authority.…”

Section: Policy and Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent cognition and procedural justice: Broadening the impact of research findings on policy and practice

Granot

Tyler

2019

Social & Personality Psych

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Research on adolescent social cognition has had an enormous impact on how the justice system conceptualizes adolescent legal responsibility and deals with adolescents who commit crimes. Such research also has broader implications for adolescent legal socialization, which have been largely underdeveloped. A renewed effort to connect psychological research with legal policy must expand beyond these beginnings to focus on all adolescents and their engagement in broader social institutions. Specifically, a consideration of the unique capacities for growth and development during the adolescent years should be leveraged toward fostering positive outcomes like community identity, academic and social achievement, and the development of an orientation toward law based upon legitimacy and trust. Studies suggest that a key component of positive socialization is dealing with authorities one experiences as procedurally just. Researchers focused on issues of juvenile justice should also expand their focus to consider how the social climate in institutions such as schools can be designed to take advantage of the unique capacities adolescents have for exploring identity and connecting with peers in developing their orientation to the law and legal authorities.

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Adolescents’ confidence in institutions: Do America’s youth differentiate between legal and social institutions?

Cited by 15 publications

References 75 publications

Youth Perceptions of Law Enforcement and Worry About Crime from 1976 to 2016

Youth Perceptions of Law Enforcement and Worry About Crime from 1976 to 2016

Fair Teachers, Fair Police? Assessing the Pathways between Perceptions of Teacher and Police Authority in Childhood and Adolescence

Adolescent cognition and procedural justice: Broadening the impact of research findings on policy and practice

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