On the measurement of public support for the police: a research note

Since the 1960s, many studies have analyzed citizens’ attitudes toward the police. These studies have used a variety of items to measure citizens’ attitudes ( items which vary in their referent (e.g. “the police,” “the police in the neighborhood”) and in their focus (e.g. assessments of overall police performance, assessments of police performance in dealing with specific conditions). Using data obtained through a survey of 298 residents of a midwestern city, compares responses to various questions designed to measure attitudes toward the police. The results show that regardless of the referent or focus, there are few differences in response patterns across questions. Discusses the implications of these findings.