Race, linked fate, and attitudes toward the police

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesIn this article, we explore the effects of race linked fate and racial self‐identification on Americans’ attitudes toward the police. We suggest that the strength of the connection between race linked fate and police attitudes depends on whether a given racial group experiences or perceives a pattern of marginalization and discrimination by the police that targets their racial group. We expect that the negative relationship between race linked fate and police attitudes will be strongest among African Americans and Latinos (i.e., two groups with often contentious relations with law enforcement), weaker among Asians and other race individuals, and negligible or (possibly) positive for whites.MethodsUsing data from the 2016 Voter Study Group survey, we estimate a series of ordinary least squares regression and binary logit models of police attitudes.ResultsWe find, as expected, that the effects of race linked fate on attitudes toward the police are very strong for African Americans and Latinos, weak and/or inconsistent for Asians and other race respondents, and nonexistent for white respondents.ConclusionThese results point to the importance of racial self‐identification and race linked fate in shaping attitudes about the police, particularly among African Americans and Latinos.