RT Article
T1 Protest Policing, Normative Alignment, and Riot Gear: An Experiment
JF Crime & delinquency
VO 71
IS 4
SP 1052
OP 1078
A1 Thompson, Andrew J.
A2 Pickett, Justin T.
A2 Graham, Amanda
A2 Cullen, Francis T. 1951-
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1920469176
AB 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.
K1 Black Lives Matter
K1 riot gear
K1 Experiment
K1 Policing
K1 Protests
DO 10.1177/00111287231189718