Beliefs about minority representation in policing and support for diversification.

ABSTRACT: Diversification of police forces is widely promoted as a reform for reducing racial disparities in police-civilian interactions and increasing police legitimacy. Despite these potential benefits, nearly every municipal police department in the United States remains predominately White and male. Here, we investigate whether the scale and persistence of minority underrepresentation in policing might partly be explained by a lack of support for diversification among voters and current police officers. Across two studies (N = 2, 661) sampling the US adult population and residents from a city with one of the least representative police forces in the country, individuals significantly overestimate officer diversity at both the local and national levels. We find that correcting these biase

SUBMITTER: Peyton K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9907127 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature