Are the Effects of Legitimacy and Its Components Invariant? Operationalization and the Generality of Sunshine and Tyler’s Empowerment Hypothesis

Fox, Bryanna; Moule, Richard K.; Jaynes, Chae M.; Parry, Megan M.

doi:10.1177/0022427820926228

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Our observational findings provide support for the police empowerment hypothesis (Fox et al., 2020; Sunshine & Tyler, 2003). Regardless of the experimental prime they viewed, respondents who perceived greater police procedural justice were more supportive of giving officers discretion to enforce social distancing requirements.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Nevertheless, these policies may be deemed necessary in the interest of public health. Past research shows that people who perceive the police as procedurally just, and thus as more legitimate, are more willing to empower them to engage in invasive or coercive tactics (Fox, Moule, Jaynes, & Parry, 2020; Moule, Burruss, Parry, & Fox, 2019; Sunshine & Tyler, 2003).…”

Section: Additional Sources Of Attitudes Toward Pandemic Policingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What does the public want police to do during pandemics? A national experiment

Nix

Ivanov

Pickett

2021

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research Summary We administered a survey experiment to a national sample of 1068 U.S. adults in April 2020 to determine the factors that shape support for various policing tactics in the midst of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Respondents were sharply divided in their views about pandemic policing tactics and were least supportive of policies that might limit public access to officers or reduce crime deterrence. Information about the health risks to officers, but not to inmates, significantly increased support for “precautionary” policing, but not for “social distance” policing. The information effect was modest, but may be larger if the information came from official sources and/or was communicated on multiple occasions. Other factors that are associated with attitudes toward pandemic policing include perceptions of procedural justice, altruistic fear, racial resentment, and authoritarianism. Policy Implications When considered together with other evidence, one clear takeaway from our study is that the public values police patrols and wants officers on call, even during pandemics. Another is that people who believe the police are procedurally just are more willing to trust officers in times of crisis and to empower them to enforce new laws, such as social distancing ordinances. Our results thus support continued procedural justice training for officers. A third takeaway is that agencies must proactively communicate with the public about the risks their officers face when responding to public health crises or natural disasters, in addition to how they propose to mitigate those risks. They must also be amenable to adjusting in response to community feedback.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Additional Sources Of Attitudes Toward Pandemic Policingmentioning

confidence: 99%

What does the public want police to do during pandemics? A national experiment

Nix

Ivanov

Pickett

2021

Criminology & Public Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our observational findings provide support for the police empowerment hypothesis (Fox et al, 2020;Sunshine & Tyler, 2003). Regardless of the experimental prime they viewed, respondents who perceived greater police procedural justice were more supportive of giving officers discretion to enforce social distancing requirements.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Nevertheless, these policies may be deemed necessary in the interest of public health. Past research shows that people who perceive the police as procedurally just, and thus as more legitimate, are more willing to empower them to engage in invasive or coercive tactics (Fox et al, 2020;Moule Jr et al, 2019;Sunshine & Tyler, 2003).…”

Section: Perceived Procedural Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

What Does the Public Want Police to Do During Pandemics? A National Experiment

2021

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We administered a survey experiment to a national sample of 1,068 US adults in April 2020 to determine the factors that shape support for various policing tactics in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were sharply divided in their views about pandemic policing tactics, and were least supportive of policies that might limit public access to officers or reduce crime deterrence. Information about the health risks to officers, but not to inmates, significantly increased support for "precautionary" policing, but not for "social distance" policing. The information effect was modest, but may be larger if the information came from official sources and/or was communicated on multiple occasions. Other factors that are associated with attitudes toward pandemic policing include perceptions of procedural justice, altruistic fear, racial resentment, and authoritarianism. Policy Implications: When considered together with other evidence, one clear takeaway from our study is that the public values police patrols and wants officers on call, even during pandemics. Another is that people who believe the police are procedurally just are more willing to trust officers in times of crisis and to empower them to enforce new laws, such as social distancing ordinances. Our results thus support continued procedural justice training for officers. A third takeaway is that agencies must proactively communicate with the public about the risks their officers face when responding to public health crises or natural disasters, in addition to how they propose to mitigate those risks. They must also be amenable to adjusting in response to community feedback.

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“…In a recent paper, Jackson and Gau (2016) contend that "legitimacy is (a) the belief that an institution exhibits properties that justify its power and (b) a duty to obey that emerges out of this sense of appropriateness; that trust is about positive expectations about valued behavior from institutional officials; and that legitimacy and institutional trust overlap." Following a growing number of studies (see Moule, Fox, and Parry 2021;Gau 2015;Riesig, Wolfe, and Holtfreter 2011), legal cynicism was measured separately from legitimacy. Here, we used two items drawn from research on contexts and countries where respect for authority is notoriously absent (Reisig, Bratton, and Gertz 2007;Sunshine and Tyler 2003;Tyler and Huo 2002;Sampson and Bartusch 1998).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Civility Matters in Civil Matters: Procedural Justice and Court Legitimacy in the Midst of a Legitimacy Crisis

Burdziej¹,

Guzik²,

Pilitowski³

2021

Law Soc. Inq.

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The procedural justice thesis that quality of treatment matters more than outcomes in people’s perception of institutional legitimacy is supported by a large body of research. But studies also suggest that distributive justice and the effectiveness of authorities are more important in certain legal settings (civil courts) and national contexts (posttransition societies). This study tests these ideas through a survey of 192 civil litigants in Poland, a postcommunist country where the national judiciary has recently been subject to intense political scrutiny. Our findings support the generalizability of procedural justice, and especially voice, but also demonstrate the significance of outcomes and legal cynicism. We also discuss prior court contact, role (plaintiff versus defendants), and representation (presence of counsel) as potential moderators on litigants’ perceptions of court legitimacy.

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Are the Effects of Legitimacy and Its Components Invariant? Operationalization and the Generality of Sunshine and Tyler’s Empowerment Hypothesis

Cited by 22 publications

References 80 publications

What does the public want police to do during pandemics? A national experiment

What does the public want police to do during pandemics? A national experiment

What Does the Public Want Police to Do During Pandemics? A National Experiment

How Civility Matters in Civil Matters: Procedural Justice and Court Legitimacy in the Midst of a Legitimacy Crisis

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