Protest Policing, Normative Alignment, and Riot Gear: An Experiment

To examine if police expressions of solidary with protesters improve public opinion toward the police, we embedded a picture- and information-based experiment in a YouGov survey (N = 1,150), wherein respondents were randomly exposed to police expressions of solidarity with protesters. We also random...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Thompson, Andrew J. (Author)
Contributors: Pickett, Justin T. ; Graham, Amanda ; Cullen, Francis T. 1951-
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Crime & delinquency
Year: 2025, Volume: 71, Issue: 4, Pages: 1052-1078
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Black Lives Matter
riot gear
Experiment
Policing
Protests
Description
Summary:To examine if police expressions of solidary with protesters improve public opinion toward the police, we embedded a picture- and information-based experiment in a YouGov survey (N = 1,150), wherein respondents were randomly exposed to police expressions of solidarity with protesters. We also randomized whether the pictured officers were wearing riot gear. We find little evidence that expressions of solidarity or riot gear significantly affect public affinity for the police or support for accountability reforms in policing. Past studies show that outside of the context of protests, officers’ behavior toward civilians has asymmetric effects, such that positive actions matter less than negative ones. Our findings suggest that this may be true within the protest context as well.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/00111287231189718