{"title":"The impact of police uniforms in changing views of police legitimacy and driving intentions among young people: an experimental trial","authors":"Levi Anderson, Lyndel Bates, Lacey Schaefer","doi":"10.1007/s11292-023-09586-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Objectives</h3><p>This study aimed to determine if young people’s views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend are affected by the delivery of a road safety program by uniformed police officers (control) compared with plain clothes police officers (experimental). The study further explores the direct correlation between views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend as well as the impact of uniforms, mediated by views of police legitimacy, on intentions to offend.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>Participants in this study were grade 12 students (<i>n</i> = 380) from private (fee-paying) high schools located in Queensland, Australia. Participants were surveyed following their involvement in a police road safety program. <i>t</i>-Tests, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted to determine the impact of police uniforms and views of police legitimacy on intentions to offend.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Results of this study demonstrate that delivery of the program by uniformed police officers had a significantly greater positive impact on the views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend compared with delivery by plain-clothed officers. The study also demonstrates a significant correlation between views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend, as well as a mediated model including views of police legitimacy that explains more variance in intentions to offend when mediated by views of police legitimacy.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>This study demonstrates that views of police legitimacy, as well as intentions to offend, are more positively impacted when an educational course is facilitated by uniformed police officers. The mediation analysis demonstrates that uniforms impact views of police legitimacy and these views significantly affect intentions to offend. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between police uniforms, views of police legitimacy, and offending and may inform future research and policy decisions in the area of policing.</p>","PeriodicalId":47684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Criminology","volume":"115 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Experimental Criminology","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-023-09586-6","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to determine if young people’s views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend are affected by the delivery of a road safety program by uniformed police officers (control) compared with plain clothes police officers (experimental). The study further explores the direct correlation between views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend as well as the impact of uniforms, mediated by views of police legitimacy, on intentions to offend.
Methods
Participants in this study were grade 12 students (n = 380) from private (fee-paying) high schools located in Queensland, Australia. Participants were surveyed following their involvement in a police road safety program. t-Tests, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted to determine the impact of police uniforms and views of police legitimacy on intentions to offend.
Results
Results of this study demonstrate that delivery of the program by uniformed police officers had a significantly greater positive impact on the views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend compared with delivery by plain-clothed officers. The study also demonstrates a significant correlation between views of police legitimacy and intentions to offend, as well as a mediated model including views of police legitimacy that explains more variance in intentions to offend when mediated by views of police legitimacy.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that views of police legitimacy, as well as intentions to offend, are more positively impacted when an educational course is facilitated by uniformed police officers. The mediation analysis demonstrates that uniforms impact views of police legitimacy and these views significantly affect intentions to offend. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between police uniforms, views of police legitimacy, and offending and may inform future research and policy decisions in the area of policing.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Experimental Criminology focuses on high quality experimental and quasi-experimental research in the advancement of criminological theory and/or the development of evidence based crime and justice policy. The journal is also committed to the advancement of the science of systematic reviews and experimental methods in criminology and criminal justice. The journal seeks empirical papers on experimental and quasi-experimental studies, systematic reviews on substantive criminological and criminal justice issues, and methodological papers on experimentation and systematic review. The journal encourages submissions from scholars in the broad array of scientific disciplines that are concerned with criminology as well as crime and justice problems.
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