Jennifer Peck
Associate Professor, University Of Central Florida
Key Findings
- Individuals that identified as non-White were more likely to have negative associations and perceptions of the police when compared to their White counterparts, regardless of other dependent variables.
- Hispanic individuals held more positive views of the police compared to Black individuals but continued to have more negative views when compared to White individuals.
Description
minorities from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds perceive the police to determine if there are differences in attitudes compared to their White civilian counterparts. To conduct her research, Peck facilitated a literary review of 92 studies using a multitude of academic databases that compared perceptions about the police of Black, Hispanic and non-White individuals to White individuals. The studies chosen were featured in two prior reviews and also included new research that had taken place after 2002 as well as updated selection criteria to account for studies factoring in current events and media influence on the topic. The findings indicated that individuals that identified as non-White were more likely to have negative associations and perceptions of the police when compared to their White counterparts, regardless of other dependent variables. Hispanic individuals held more positive views of the police compared to Black individuals but continued to have more negative views when compared to White individuals. For future studies, Peck recommended considering a mixed-methods approach that would account for both qualitative and quantitative data to better understand when race and ethnicity impact how individuals perceive police satisfaction, safety, and encounters. Additionally, further research must be conducted to understand the media’s influence on racial and ethnic attitude differences towards the police. Lastly, expanding on definitions of “minority” to include more specific racial and ethnic groups should be taken into consideration.