Explaining Differences between Ethnic Groups in Trust in Police

• In Event: Poster Session: International Security III & Migration and Citizenship
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Migration and Citizenship

Abstract

Previous research has regularly found that immigrants have lower levels of trust in the police than natives. In this presentation, we want to explain the ethnic gap in trust in police. We focus on general explanations for trust in police, that are applicable to both the ethnic minority and majority group – such as social-structural position, neighborhood context and authoritarianism – and we focus on minority specific explanations – such as perceptions of discrimination and religion. First, we hypothesize that ethnic minorities have lower trust because of their lower social-structural position (in terms of education, occupational status and experiences with financial problems). Second, we expect that ethnic minorities have lower trust in the police because they have higher levels of authoritarianism than Dutch natives. Third, we include neighborhood characteristics and hypothesize that ethnic minorities have lower trust in the police because they are more likely to live in neighborhoods characterized by disorder and lower social capital, compared to native Dutch. Finally, specifically for ethnic minorities, we expect that the more ethnic minorities experience discrimination, the lower their levels of trust in the police. We rely on data from the Netherlands Longitudinal and Lifecourse Survey (NELLS), a random probability sample of over 5000 Dutch natives and Dutch citizens of Turkish and Moroccan descent. This survey includes very detailed measures among both populations, allowing for a stringent test of the model. To test our hypotheses, we estimate a 1-2-1 multilevel structural equation model. This model allows to disentangle mediation effects at the individual and at the neighborhood level. Results show that ethnic minorities indeed have lower levels of trust in the police because of their lower social-structural position and because of their higher levels of authoritarianism compared to natives. Neighborhood characteristics have limited explanatory power and only explain the difference between Turkish minorities and native Dutch, that is, Turkish minorities have lower levels of trust because they are more likely to live in disordered neighborhoods characterized by low social capital, relative to natives. Implications of the study will be discussed in length.

Author

• Cecil Meeusen, University of Leuven