The Sources of Legal Cynicism among Students in China

• In Event: ACCCJ Chinese Societies, Law and Justice

Abstract

Legal cynicism refers to the rules of the dominant society are no longer binding among citizens.  Previous research reported in the U.S. often signles out subculture as the primary source of legal cynicism at the neighborhood level.  Moreover, legal cynicism brews disatisfaction with the criminal justice system particularly the police in minority neighborhoods.  Not surprisingly, individuals who hold legal cynical attitudes toward the law and the police are more likely to comitt crimes than their counterparts who do not.   The purpose of this paper is to examine the sources of legal cynicism among middle school students in China, a distinctively different social setting.  More specifically, we examine the effects of hypothesized sources on legal cynicsm using the same departing point of the subculture perspective.  Popular western culture (a unique subculture in the Chinese setting), neighborhood environment, and attitudes toward the police are included in the analysis.  The sample was collected from 22 minority schools with over 6,500 students in China.  The primary findings reveal that the influence of western popular culture, sentiment of the police and associated agreement with the adopation of diviant means are significant predictors of legal cynicism. 

Authors

• Jihong Zhao, Sam Houston State University

• Ruohui Zhao, University of Macau

• Xingting Wang, Sam Houston State University