The Feedback Effects of Controversial Police Use of Force

Controversial cases of police use of force against minority civilians have become a ubiquitous feature of news headlines, and videos of these interactions between citizens and government actors have placed them in the public sphere. In this paper, we examine the feedback effects of these publicized...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political behavior 2021-06, Vol.43 (2), p.881-898
Main Authors: Mullinix, Kevin J., Bolsen, Toby, Norris, Robert J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Feedback
Law enforcement
Media coverage
Original Paper
Police
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Public opinion
Public sphere
Sociology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Controversial cases of police use of force against minority civilians have become a ubiquitous feature of news headlines, and videos of these interactions between citizens and government actors have placed them in the public sphere. In this paper, we examine the feedback effects of these publicized incidents. Using a unique survey-experiment implemented in 2019, we demonstrate that controversial police use of force against minority civilians prompts strong emotional reactions, increases support for body-cameras, changes beliefs about excessive force, and alters attitudes toward law enforcement. Notably, our design allows us to examine the effects of both text-based news stories and videos pulled from two real-world use of force cases, one lethal and one non-lethal. This study has important implications for public opinion, feedback effects, and perceptions of law enforcement.
ISSN:0190-9320
1573-6687
DOI:10.1007/s11109-020-09646-x