Public Attitudes Toward the Police During COVID-19: Findings From the First Year of the Pandemic

• In Event: Police-Community Relations and COVID-19

Abstract

Since its outbreak in January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the reality of police agencies worldwide. In Israel, as in other Western democracies, police officers were required to enforce a long, constantly changing list of emergency regulations, such as stay-at-home orders, social distancing, lockdowns and quarantines. At the same time, officers had to change their behaviour to protect themselves from the virus, by using protective gear and maintaining a safe distance from citizens. The policing literature suggests that such changes, as well as the crisis situation more generally, could affect public attitudes towards the police, including citizens' expectations from the police, their perceptions of police effectiveness and fairness, and their trust in the police. The present study reports the findings of a three-wave panel survey of 539 non-Ultra-Orthodox Jewish citizens, carried out in Israel over the course of the pandemic. We find a strong, significant decline in all attitudes towards the police in the first sixth month of the pandemic, leading to a stabilisation in the second half of 2020. The findings are discussed in the context of police-public relations during COVID-19, and the potential long-term implications.

Authors

• Gali Perry, The Hebrew University, Israel

• Tal Jonathan-Zamir, The Hebrew University, Israel

• Ron Factor, The Hebrew University, Israel