CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SURVEYS ON PUBLIC OPINIONS TOWARD POLICE AGENCIES

• NCJ Number: 47552
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1978) Pages: 204-218
• Author(s): M F WHITE; B A MENKE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REVISED VERSION OF A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE ACADEMY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SCIENCES ANNUAL MEETINGS, SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, MARCH 16-18, 1977

Annotation

AN INDEPTH ANALYSIS OF SURVEYS OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD POLICE CONDUCTED FOR THE 1967 PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IS GIVEN AND CONCLUSIONS DRAWN.

Abstract

AN EVALUATION OF SURVEY DATA OF THE PUBLIC'S MOOD TOWARD THE POLICE INDICATE THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS IN THE USE OF THE SURVEY DATA AND THEIR INTERPRETATIONS. ONE STUDY WHICH REPORTS A HIGHLY POSITIVE IMAGE OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE POLICE IS SHOWN TO CONTAIN DATA REVEALING IMAGE AMONG THOSE SURVEYED. A STRONG NEGATIVE IT IS BELIEVED THAT ANALYSIS STRATEGIES WERE MISLEADING IN THIS STUDY DUE TO THE LACK OF A GUIDING THEORY THAT WOULD HAVE LED TO A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE DATA. A SECOND SURVEY STUDY THAT REPORTS THE PUBLIC AS BEING AMBIVALENT TOWARD THE POLICE IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE DATA THAT REFLECT A POSITIVE IMAGE OF THE PUBLIC TOWARD POLICE. A THIRD STUDY WHICH SUGGESTS THAT PUBLIC OPINION IS WIDELY SCATTERED ON ISSUES REGARDING THE POLICE IS DEEMED TO EMPLOY INADEQUATE MEASUREMENT AND FEW INDICATORS THAT ARE WIDELY SCATTERED. THE AUTHORS SUGGEST THAT THE OVERWHELMINGLY FAVORABLE PICTURE OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS REPORTED BY SOME RESEARCHERS MAY BE A FUNCTION OF MISINTERPRETATION OF ITEMS AS WELL AS A FUNCTION OF THE LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY OF THE ITEMS USED IN THE RESEARCH. A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE AUTHORS IS REPORTED TO HAVE FOUND THAT, ON GENERAL ITEMS, THE PUBLIC REPORTS A FAVORABLE IMAGE OF THE POLICE, WHILE, ON MORE SPECIFIC ISSUES, THE FAVORABLE IMAGE DECREASES TREMENDOUSLY. THE GENERAL CONCLUSION IS THAT MOST OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ASSESSING THE MOOD OF THE PUBLIC TOWARD CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IS NOT USEFUL FOR FORMULATING POLICY DECISIONS. TABLES OF DATA FROM THE RESEARCH STUDIES ANALYZED ARE INCLUDED. (RCB)