Predictors of Black Young Adults’ Responses toward Police during a Disagreement

• In Event: Policing Blackness: Interrogating Perceptions, Behaviors, & Interactions

Abstract

Recently, efforts have been made to increase the frequency of positive interactions between the police and the citizens they serve and protect. Using a national sample of Black young adults (age 18-25), this study investigates responses from citizens made during a disagreement with a police officer. As with all of today’s young adults who emerging into adulthood at the turn of the millennium, Black young adults are being socialized through different experiences than previous generations had when they were in a similar age range. This study incorporates multiple theoretical frameworks to explore a variety of predictors, such as social learning processes, perceptions of justice, and perceptions of punishment. To operationalize deference and defiance, nine behavioral responses were developed. Three responses are possible that end in deference (defined as obeying an order from the police during a disagreement) and six responses are possible that end in defiance (defined as disobeying an order from the police during a disagreement). Univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multivariate regression analyses are conducted to predict engagement in deference and defiance. Overall, the results can be used to better understand why compliance, deference, or defiance occur in different situations.

Authors

• Jennifer Klein, University of Texas at Tyler

• Danielle Cooper, University of New Haven