Race/ethnicity and perceptions of the police: a comparison of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans

Abstract

This study extends the dominant BlackÁWhite paradigm in assessing public perceptions of the police by including Hispanic and Asian Americans. Relying on a large random sample of Seattle residents, this study examines: (1) perceptions of police problem-solving, hassling, racial profiling and bias among Hispanic, Asian, Black and White Americans and (2) factors that influence police perceptions. Results reveal both majorityÁminority and inter-minority variations in attitudes towards police, suggesting that a single vertical scale or gradation of attitudes cannot adequately describe the complexity of different racial/ethnic groups' perceptions of multiple aspects of policing. A range of individual demographic, police-and crime-related, and neighbourhood structural and cultural factors influence public perceptions of the police. Some interesting findings include that educational attainment and employment have negative effects on public satisfaction with the police, police visibility is associated with greater satisfaction with police problem-solving yet stronger beliefs on police harassment and racial profiling, and neighbourhood codes of violence is a consistent and outstanding predictor of public perceptions of the police. Possible explanations are provided.

A Multilevel Examination of the Relationship Between Racial Tension and Attitudes Toward the Police

“…Those studies that have included Latinos or Asians have produced mixed results, either finding that their attitudes are not significantly different from those of Whites (e.g., Wehrman & Angelis, 2011). or that their attitudes fall between those of Whites and Blacks, where Whites' attitudes are the most favorable and Blacks hold the least favorable attitudes of the police (Waddington & Braddock, 1991;Bridenball & Jesilow, 2008;Posick, Rocque, & McDevitt, 2013;Wu, 2014). However, Latinos have indeed been found to view the police more negatively than Whites in some studies (e.g., Hadar & Snortum, 1975;Carter, 1983) or, more recently, have reported similar attitudes when compared to African-Americans (Sampson & Jeglum-Bartusch, 1998;Weitzer & Tuch, 2004).…”

Perceptions of Police, Racial Profiling, and Psychological Outcomes: A Mixed Methodological Study

“…Research has consistently demonstrated that Black Americans harbor substantially more negative perceptions of law enforcement than do White Americans (Huggins, ; Peck, ; Weitzer & Tuch, ). Latina/o Americans have also been cited as having much less confidence in the police than White Americans (Huggins, ), but tend to fall on a spectrum between Black American and White American populations when measuring these beliefs (Cheurprakobkit, ; Wu, ). Asian Americans have been identified as having overall positive perceptions of police (Wu, ), but report having less favorable views of police fairness (Callanan & Rosenberger, ), and experiencing poor cooperation with police (Song, ).…”

Perceptions of Police Among Hispanic Immigrants of Mexican Origin in the Southeast United States

“…With the recent focus and demands of the anti-immigration movement, which require law enforcement to question the residency status of immigrants, tensions between the Hispanic population and police agencies may be rising (Wu, 2014). Coupled with existing barriers (e.g.…”