Measuring everyday experiences with the police: An experience sampling pilot study

Abstract

Objectives: The current study explores the application of experience sampling techniques to measure experiences with the police and examine to what extent different experiences are associated with within-individual changes in attitudes towards the police.Methods: Data for the study were collected from 206 young people (aged 18-30) living in the Netherlands over a period of 21 days. After completing a baseline questionnaire, participants completed daily questionnaires measuring attitudes towards the police and any experiences with the police or other authorities that have occurred. A total of 3042 daily questionnaires have been completed out of a possible 4389 (69%).Results: The results show that the number and type of experiences can vary substantially across individuals and time, and that overall experiences with the police are prevalent in everyday life. In addition, negative experiences were associated with more negative perceptions of police legitimacy at that point in time, in particular trust, procedural fairness, and confidence. Conclusions: These pilot results raise questions about how we measure experiences with the police, and to what extent different experiences have short- or long-term effects on attitudes towards the police. Experience sampling techniques can help us capture these short-term processes in order to better understand when and how experiences are likely to shape perceptions of police.