What are Legitimacy and Trust?: Why People View These Concepts Differently

• In Event: Denizenship, Immigration, and Legitimacy: How Identity, Membership, and Experience Shape Perceptions of the State

Abstract

Legitimacy and trust in police are widely regarded as critical for compliance with the law and cooperation with legal authorities. In public and academic discussions of police legitimacy and trust, it is assumed that these are stable concepts across segments of the population. Yet, data show that people do not view legitimacy and trust the same way. Data come from a national sample of 1,900 Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics. Using a mixed methods approach, we examine how a variety of factors—such as race, nationality, region, education, and experience with police—impact a person’s view of legitimacy and trust in police. We expect this research to contribute to how legitimacy and trust are conceptualized in the academic literature. Additionally, insights from this project can guide how law enforcement interact with different segments of the population to increase views of legitimacy and trust.

Authors

• Emma Ashooh, American University

• Erin Kearns, University of Alabama

• Belén Lowrey, American University