Contact matters: determining the effects of political orientations on satisfaction with the police by contact with the police

Abstract

Purpose

Public willingness to obey the law is partially determined by their satisfaction levels with police job performance. Although numerous studies have researched determinants of citizen satisfaction with the police, to date, none have examined whether political orientations, measured according to voting preferences, share any association with this outcome. No study, moreover, has analyzed if the effects of political orientations vary by contact with law enforcement.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire data were collected from a convenience sample of university students to determine whether the effects of political orientations on satisfaction with law enforcement varied by contact with the police.

Findings

Among the total sample, as well as those who had no prior contact with the police, liberal respondents expressed less satisfaction with law enforcers when compared to conservatives. Among those who were either contacted by the police, or who initiated contact, political orientations had no effect on satisfaction. What was significant across all models though was procedural justice.

Research limitations

Generalization attempts are hindered considering the non-probability nature of the sample, while causality can also not be confirmed since data are cross-sectional.

Practical implications

Police officers must behave in procedurally fair manners when interacting with citizens and engage in community outreach initiatives in order to improve their image across society.

Originality/value

Findings offer insight into the conditions under which voting preferences can shape evaluations of the police.

Citation

Ferdik, F., Froggé, G., Cooney, M. and Smith, H.P. (2024), "Contact matters: determining the effects of political orientations on satisfaction with the police by contact with the police", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2024-0157