Public trust in the Chinese police: The impact of ethnicity, class, and Hukou

Abstract

Under the shiny surface of continued rapid economic growth, China has become a country rife with discontent over social inequalities, providing a unique social laboratory for studying social divisions and public perceptions of the police. We extended the conflict perspectives developed in the West to China and became the first to simultaneously examine the effects of three most vital social stratification variables in China—ethnicity, social status, and hukou—on trust in the police. Using nationwide data, we found that ethnic minorities showed the same or higher levels of trust than the Hans, rural registers held more favorable views than urban registers, and self-identified social status emerged as the most important concept associated with conflict theory in explaining Chinese trust in the police. Findings provided important theoretical and policy implications of social stratification and policing in a country of rapid modernization.

Police Legitimacy and Compliance With the Law Among Chinese Youth

“…Liu 2005), as well as ethnic minorities. Wu, Sun, and Hu (2016) demonstrated that ethnic minorities show similar or higher level of trust in police compared with the Hans, and rural dwellers have more favorable views of police than urban residents.…”

“…To date, there exists little empirical evidence using Chinese youth self-reporting samples in this line of inquiry. Several studies have been conducted investigating the perception of Chinese college students toward the police and policing strategies (Wu, 2010;Wu, Jiang, & Lambert, 2011), while others have utilized Chinese adult samples (Jiang, Sun, & Wang, 2012;Sun et al, 2013;Wu & Sun, 2009;Wu et al, 2016;Wu, Sun, & Smith, 2011). Three studies currently exist that present the closest effort to ours, albeit none with a focus on youth's compliance with the law (Ren, Zhang, Zhao, & Zhao, 2016;.…”

Cooperation with Police in China: Surveillance Cameras, Neighborhood Efficacy and Policing

“…Relying on survey data collected from 751 residents in a southern city in China, this study adds to the extremely limited literature on Chinese willingness to cooperate with the police. During the past two decades, although many studies have evaluated Chinese views on the police (e.g., Sun, Wu, and Hu, 2013; Wang, Zhao, and Zhang, 2020; Wu, 2010; Wu and Sun, 2009; Wu, Jiang, and Lambert, 2011; Wu, Sun, and Hu, 2016; Zhang et al., 2020), research on public cooperation with the police including crime‐reporting behaviors and desires remains scarce (Liu and Liu, 2018; Sun et al., 2017). Albeit closely related, perception of the police is not the same as willingness to help and assist the police.…”

The Impact of Two Different Cultures on Juvenile Attitudes Toward the Police in China

“…In Chinese society, Confucian thought is undoubtedly the predominant cultural heritage underlies the positive link between one’s ethnic identity and following principles of Confucian thought—among these being that respect for parents and teachers is a fundamental core element in the Chinese culture (Cao & Hou, 2001; Liu & Palermo, 2009). For example, Wu, Sun, and Hu (2016) reported that ethnic minorities, such as Zhuang and Hui, are highly assimilated into the dominant Han culture, and they tend to hold a high level of trust in the police. Our third hypothesis is that juveniles who favor Western popular culture and are being labeled by others as a fan of it are more likely than their traditionally oriented peers to hold a negative view of the police.…”