In the Shadows of Ferguson: The Role of Racial Resentment on White Attitudes towards the use of Force by Police in the United States

J. Scott Carter

University of Central Florida, United States of America

Mamadi Corra

East Carolina University, United States of America

David A. Jenks

University of West Georgia, United States of America

Abstract:

This paper uses data from the National Opinion Research Center's General Social Survey (GSS) to assess the effects of beliefs about race on whites' attitudes toward police use of force. Our main dependent variable is a composite index ("Police Force Index") constructed from four survey items from the 1972-2012 GSS. Results show that beliefs about race do indeed influence attitudes toward police use of force. "Racial resentment," as defined in the symbolic racism literature (see below), is found to be directly related to support for the use of force by the police. This relationship, however, is found to be conditioned by the type of question asked: racial resentment is more strongly associated with support for the use of force by the police when the question asked is more specific (i.e., when the citizen is described as a murder suspect) than when it is general (i.e. when the police action is said to be against a citizen). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Keyword:

Racial Resentment, White Attitudes, Ferguson, Police.