Attitudes towards Police in Canada: A Study of Perceptions of University Students in a Western Canadian City

Abstract

Criminal justice institutions and the policies that guide them can be strongly influenced by public attitudes. This paper examines perceptions of the police held by a sample of university students in a Western Canadian city. Results revealed that respondents held moderately positive attitudes toward the police. Multiple ordinary least-squares regression analysis revealed that socio-economic status, location of residence, personal safety, criminal victimization, contact with the police, and police harassment or mistreatment experience were found to be significantly associated with respondents' evaluation of the police.