Who Trusts Security Actors in Times of Crisis? –Findings from a Vignette Study

• In Event: POL Panel 3. Police legitimacy and Trust around the world

Abstract

Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have troubled the population for the last years. During the pandemic, the state’s emergency measures implemented restricted fundamental rights to an unprecedented extent. These restrictions, which have lasted for a long time, raise questions of acceptance among the population: why and under what conditions do citizens comply with such emergency measures? Although, according to empirical studies on procedural justice, the fair treatment of citizens by the police has a strong impact on perceptions of legitimacy in “normal” times, which in turn affects cooperation with the police and compliance, this impact remains largely unexplored in times of emergency. The research team conducted an online vignette study with about 8,000 respondents in Germany at the beginning of 2024. Key findings of the study towards the acceptance of police emergency measures during the pandemic will be presented.

Author

• Frederik Kohler, Endowed Professorship of Crime Prevention and Risk Management, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany