Perception of police misconduct and satisfaction with police: The role of confidence in police and legitimisation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Anchored on the social exchange theory, this study investigated citizens’ perception of police misconduct on satisfaction with police through the mediating influence of confidence in the police and the moderating influence of legitimisation. The study is cross-sectional, and a sample size of three hundred and thirty-three citizens of Nigeria was recruited through an online survey. The data were analysed using Hayes's PROCESS macro, model 8. We found that the perception of police misconduct did not directly influence confidence and satisfaction in the police. However, the perception of police misconduct led to less satisfaction with police through low confidence in the police. Furthermore, we found that citizens high in police misconduct perception and high in police legitimacy were low in confidence in the police. Additionally, citizens high in police misconduct perception and high in police legitimacy were low in satisfaction with police through less confidence in the police. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of this study.