The malleability of attitudes toward the police: immediate effects of the viewing of police use of force videos

Purpose: To examine whether videos of controversial police interventions shape individual opinion and, consequently, if attitudes towards use of force are malleable in the short-term. Methodology: A self-administered survey was conducted among 248 undergraduate students as part of a larger project o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Police practice & research 2017-07, Vol.18 (4), p.366-375
Main Authors: Boivin, Rémi, Gendron, Annie, Faubert, Camille, Poulin, Bruno
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
attitudes about police
controversial interventions
media
Police use of force
public opinion
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Summary:Purpose: To examine whether videos of controversial police interventions shape individual opinion and, consequently, if attitudes towards use of force are malleable in the short-term. Methodology: A self-administered survey was conducted among 248 undergraduate students as part of a larger project on attitudes towards police use of force. Two groups of respondents were asked general questions about the police: one group was shown fictional videos of controversial police interventions just prior to completing the questionnaire; the other was not. Findings: Results strongly suggest that videos of police interventions have significant effects on reported opinions about use of force: the group that watched the videos was more likely to report that the police frequently use force. Implications: The wide distribution of images by police organizations might have unexpected adverse effects on public attitudes.
ISSN:1561-4263
1477-271X
DOI:10.1080/15614263.2016.1230063