Perceptions of Legal Legitimacy among University Students with and without Military Service

Abstract

We know that individuals who have and have not served in the military often hold different assessments of social institutions. We also know from a separate body of research that perceptions of the legitimacy of a society’s legal system is an important social indicator that varies on a number of demographic, experiential and identity factors. Yet, research has not explored if and how veteran status is associated with perceptions of legitimacy. We began addressing this gap in the literature by surveying veteran and nonveteran students. The results of this exploratory study showed that veterans did not differ from nonveterans in their perceptions of legitimacy, but a different set of factors shaped the assessments of veteran students. Further, our examination of veteran-specific factors showed that exposure to combat was negatively associated with legitimacy and that veteran identity contributed to increased trust in the legitimacy of legal institutions.