(Mis)perceptions of Ethnic Group Size and Consequences for Community Expectations and Cooperation with Law Enforcement

• In Event: The Many Faces of Policing

Abstract

Changing composition of race and ethnic group size has been noted for western nations over the last 15 years and so too has the link between the perception of this change and fear of crime and attitudes towards immigrants and prejudice more generally. In addition, changes in ethnic composition are linked to the movement of white residents out of traditionally white communities, rising ethnic tension as the ethnic mix shifts, and a heightened sense of injustice regarding the justice system. However, whether community residents and citizens correctly perceive the size and manner of this change is less convincing and the misperception, the over exaggeration or under estimation of ethnic composition, may be even more consequential for understanding attitudes, fear and behavior. The potential misperception also has consequences for community expectations that are important for informal social control and police cooperation. This study seeks to understand what drives misperceptions of race and ethnic composition, how misperceptions influence community informal social control, and what implications these have for interacting with law enforcement. Findings from the National Security and Preparedness Survey suggest that ethnic groups do not misperceive composition equally and we discuss how these misperceptions influence informal social control and perceptions of police.

Authors

• Suzanna Fay-Ramirez, University of Queensland

• Toby Miles-Johnson, University of Southampton