Public Perceptions of Human Trafficking and Expectations of the Criminal Justice System

• In Event: What Works in Human Trafficking Policy, Victim Identification, and Service Provision

Abstract

Public perceptions about the problem of human trafficking strongly influence the anti-trafficking activities of the government. Without public engagement, legislatures, law enforcement, and prosecutors are less likely to prioritize the issue or take steps to identify and eradicate the problem. Despite recent media attention to the issue of human trafficking we know very little about how the public understands the problem and what priority it gives to anti- trafficking responses, including the devotion of police resources to identify and prosecute traffickers. This paper uses data from a nationally representative public opinion survey to examine the current state of public opinion about human trafficking. Using embedded experiments, we are able to assess how public perceptions of human trafficking and the expectations the public holds about how the criminal justice system response change as human trafficking is framed in different ways. We test the degree to which the type of trafficking (labor versus sex) and the characteristics of victims and perpetrators influence public perceptions and expectations.

Authors

• Amy Farrell, Northeastern University

• Dana Wittmer, Colorado College

• Vanessa Bouché, Texas Christian University