Defund the Police: Race, Ideology, and Political Trust

• In Event: Race, Ethnicity, and the Politics of Policing

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how Americans are viewing proposals aimed at addressing policing in the aftermath of the widely covered death of several Black people in police custody, as well as widespread protests against racism and excessive use of force by police. Specifically, the paper examines attitudes towards reducing funding for police departments and moving those funds to mental health, housing, and other social services in the United States. First, attitudes toward defunding the police are described. Second, results from logistic regression analysis are presented. This study utilizes the 2021 General Social Survey data.

Authors

• Nurgul R. Aitalieva, Purdue University Fort Wayne

• Lauren Howard Harding, Tennessee Technological University