Public trust in the Chinese police: The impact of ethnicity, class, andHukou

Abstract

Under the shiny surface of continued rapid economic growth, China has become a country rife with discontent over social inequalities, providing a unique social laboratory for studying social divisions and public perceptions of the police. We extended the conflict perspectives developed in the West to China and became the first to simultaneously examine the effects of three most vital social stratification variables in China—ethnicity, social status, and hukou—on trust in the police. Using nationwide data, we found that ethnic minorities showed the same or higher levels of trust than the Hans, rural registers held more favorable views than urban registers, and self-identified social status emerged as the most important concept associated with conflict theory in explaining Chinese trust in the police. Findings provided important theoretical and policy implications of social stratification and policing in a country of rapid modernization.