Public Attitudes Towards People in Need: An Experiment on Reentry Support

• In Event: Public Opinion of Justice-Involved People: Results from National Survey Experiments

Abstract

Community-based reentry organizations supporting the needs of formerly incarcerated persons are essential for many of the over 600,000 people released from prisons each year. As public opinion is influential in policymaking, it is important to understand public support for these social service organizations and whom the public deems deserving of supportive services (e.g., housing, food, employment). Using a 2x2x3 factorial experimental design embedded in a Cint Theorem survey, we assess public support for social-service organizations providing services to a formerly incarcerated person compared to a struggling single parent. We also manipulate the race (White or Black primed by name) and reason for hardship (family demands, substance abuse, criminal record) of the person seeking social services in the vignette to explore other potentially stigmatizing factors beyond having a prison record. Results will be discussed in terms of which characteristic combinations the public is more supportive of receiving social-service organization assistance. Policy implications for addressing reentry service needs and overcoming stigmatized identities will also be discussed.

Author

• Natalie Artman, University of Cincinnati