Another Racial Divide? – Empathy for the Police

• In Event: Police Legitimacy and Trust

Abstract

A wealth of evidence suggests a racial divide in the lived experiences of Black and White Americans in many facets of life, particularly with police, such as the fear of experiencing police brutality, disproportionate contact with the police, and disproportionate exposure to police violence. But is there a racial divide in empathy for police? Across two matched and weighted national-level samples, I explore this emotion, the existence of a racial divide, and the sources of empathy for the police. Across both samples, a racial divide persists, with Black Americans being less empathetic toward the police. Even after accounting for an array of cognitive/emotional as well as behavioral correlates, this racial divide still remains prevalent. These findings suggest that another hurdle exists for addressing police-community relations.

Author

• Amanda Graham, Texas State University