Political Ideology and Concerns About White‐Collar Crime: Exploring the Switch Hypothesis

Abstract

Objective Numerous studies show that political conservatives in the United States are more concerned about crime than are political liberals. But, according to the “switch hypothesis,” the direction of the association should reverse when the focus is on reducing and punishing white‐collar crime. Despite the intuitiveness of this hypothesis, however, only one study to date has directly tested it. Method We explore the hypothesis using data from an online survey administered to undergraduate, graduate, and law students at a southern university. We include a wide range of controls, including demographic attributes, socioeconomic indicators, street crime victimization, white‐collar crime victimization, and a composite measure of trust in professionals. Results As hypothesized, political conservatives are less concerned about reducing and punishing white‐collar crime than are political liberals, and the association is stronger for men than it is for women, patterns that hold with and without the controls. The main effect of conservatism also holds (1) when examined with structural equation modeling, (2) when each item of the dependent variable is examined separately with stereotype logistic regression, and (3) when the sample is weighted to match the gender and race/ethnicity distribution in the population from which it was drawn. Conclusion Consistent with the switch hypothesis, the results suggest that conservatives are less concerned about white‐collar crime than are liberals.

Fear and Loathing of Wall Street: Political Liberalism, Uncertainty, and Threat Management in a Dangerous Economic World

“…The economic world is believed to be rife with white‐collar crimes, which in turn create economic recessions and stock market crashes, leading to harmful personal and societal outcomes (Schoen, 2016; Shover & Grabosky, 2010). Liberals are more concerned about these economic threats than conservatives (Kroska et al, 2019; Unnerver et al, 2008), which might explain why compared with conservatives, liberals believe that the stock market is a more dangerous and threatening place to invest money.…”

“…Although liberals are much more concerned about the dangers of corporate and white‐collar crimes than conservatives (Kroska et al, 2019; Unnerver et al, 2008; Zimring & Hawkins, 1978), it is unclear whether liberals perceive the “economic world”—broadly defined as corporate institutions, financial markets, their operations and activities including people who work therein (e.g., CEOs, stock brokers, accountants)—as a more dangerous and unpredictable place than conservatives. Focusing only on how conservatives and liberals navigate the social world of street crime and terrorism may create a body of literature that ignores how they navigate and cope with perceived threats stemming from the economic world, where there is a high chance of economic victimization by white‐collar and corporate criminals.…”

“…This characterization suggests that the social world is a place replete with street crimes and terror (e.g., muggings, burglary, murder) and that conservative’s beliefs about the social world may be shaped by their greater sensitivity to physically harmful crimes (see Crawford, 2017; Eadeh & Chang, 2020). In contrast, white‐collar and corporate crimes are widespread in the economic world (e.g., Ponzi schemes, bribery, embezzlements), and liberals are more concerned about these crimes and perceive them as more serious than conservatives (Kroska et al, 2019; Unnerver et al, 2008; Zimring & Hawkins, 1978). But it is unclear whether these differences shape liberals’ perception of the economic world as a more dangerous and threatening place.…”

“…First, experimental manipulations that increase the salience of corporate scandals increase support for regulation of financial institutions (Eadeh & Chang, 2020). In addition, liberals are more likely to support punishment of white‐collar crimes and call for more government spending on their prevention than conservatives (Kroska et al, 2019; Michel et al, 2014; Rebovich et al, 2000). Further, liberals are more likely to support tighter regulation of the stock market and corporations than conservatives (Potrafke, 2009; Unnerver et al, 2008).…”