Kelly Socia
Assistant Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Key Findings
- Naming a law after a victim was shown to increase support for the law and punishment overall compared to unnamed laws.
- The characteristics of the named victim, such as race and gender, also influenced support.
- Support for named laws was higher when they were named after African American women or children, and lowest for White women.
- Similarly, support for punishment was higher for laws named after African American women and White men or boys, and continued to be lower for White women.
Description
In the article, “Driving Public Support: Support for a Law is Higher When the Law is Named After a Victim,” Kelly Socia examined the influence of a law carrying a victim’s name on public opinion about the law itself. The study utilized a randomized survey involving 1,000 American adults to determine if support for a proposed distracted driving law and its punishment was affected by naming it after a victim, while also considering the victim’s race, gender, and age. Respondents considered vignettes about an unnamed state legislator proposing a new distracted driving law. They were randomly assigned to one of nine vignette conditions, including an unnamed law condition and eight named law conditions with variations in the named victim’s age, race, and gender. The results show that naming a law after a victim was shown to increase support for the law and punishment overall compared to unnamed laws, but the effect varies based on specific victim characteristics. The characteristics of the named victim, such as race and gender, also influenced support. Support for named laws was higher when they were named after African American women or children, and lowest for White women. Similarly, support for punishment was higher for laws named after African American women and White men or boys, and continued to be lower for White women. The author recommends further research into the unique influence of respondent demographics, which was not considered in this study.