Crime Prevention Law Enforcement and Public Opinions About Crime - Confidence In The Police

In the 2003 Gallup Poll, Americans expressed much more confidence in the police than they did in the criminal justice system. Sixty-one percent stated they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police, and 29 percent said they had some confidence. Only 10 percent claimed to have little or no confidence in the police. (See Table 9.17.)

Blacks (43 percent) were significantly less likely than whites (65 percent) to have a high level of confidence in the police. Suburban dwellers (64 percent) and Republicans (70 percent) were more likely than rural residents

TABLE 9.14
Public opinion poll of high school seniors reporting that they worry about crime and violence, by sex, race, region, college plans, and illicit drug use, 1990–2001
QUESTION: "OF ALL THE PROBLEMS FACING THE NATION TODAY, HOW OFTEN DO YOU WORRY ABOUT… CRIME AND VIOLENCE?"
(Percent responding "sometimes" or "often")

	Class of 1990 (N=2,595)	Class of 1991 (N=2,595)	Class of 1992 (N=2,736)	Class of 1993 (N=2,807)	Class of 1994 (N=2,664)	Class of 1995 (N=2,646)	Class of 1996 (N=2,502)	Class of 1997 (N=2,651)	Class of 1998 (N=2,621)	Class of 1999 (N=2,348)	Class of 2000 (N=2,204)	Class of 2001 (N=2,222)	Class of 2002 (N=2,267)
Total	88.8%	88.1%	91.6%	90.8%	92.7%	90.2%	90.1%	86.5%	84.4%	81.8%	83.5%	81.0%	75.5%
Sex
Male	84.8	82.6	87.6	85.7	88.4	85.8	84.8	79.4	76.5	74.4	76.0	71.7	66.5
Female	93.4	93.6	95.7	95.6	96.5	95.1	95.4	93.7	91.7	89.5	90.2	90.1	83.1
Race
White	88.1	86.6	90.5	89.4	92.9	90.0	89.5	84.5	83.5	80.8	82.6	78.7	73.4
Black	92.7	94.5	96.9	95.1	90.7	93.0	92.9	90.4	85.7	84.8	91.1	90.2	80.8
Region
Northeast	87.7	86.0	92.0	90.6	91.0	91.7	89.4	83.2	83.1	85.4	82.2	79.8	70.8
North Central	87.0	88.8	87.6	90.2	93.2	86.7	87.4	85.1	80.7	80.0	84.6	79.4	75.0
South	90.4	88.4	93.8	91.2	93.3	91.3	91.1	88.7	87.0	81.1	85.8	83.6	79.2
West	89.4	89.0	93.0	91.4	92.4	92.2	93.4	88.2	85.4	82.0	79.3	80.7	74.6
College plans
Yes	89.8	89.9	93.1	92.4	94.1	92.6	91.6	88.4	85.3	84.5	85.0	83.5	76.9
No	88.0	83.9	87.7	85.8	89.4	84.0	86.2	80.7	82.2	72.3	77.9	72.7	69.0
Lifetime illicit drug use
None	90.6	90.7	92.9	91.9	94.1	91.8	90.5	89.1	86.8	84.3	85.4	82.3	77.1
Marijuana only	87.1	85.4	89.6	91.1	91.5	90.9	91.9	85.7	82.3	82.8	85.8	85.2	77.0
Few pills	87.6	86.6	89.4	90.7	95.6	92.6	91.0	88.3	84.6	84.3	79.1	83.1	77.8
More pills	85.7	84.8	90.6	87.4	89.5	84.1	87.4	81.0	83.3	75.6	79.9	73.8	69.7
Note: Data are given for those who identify themselves as white or Caucasian and those who identify themselves as black or African-American; data are not given for the other ethnic categories because each of these groups constitues a small portion of the sample in any given year and therefore would yield unreliable estimates
SOURCE: Adapted from Lloyd D. Johnston, Jerald G. Bachman, and Patrick M. O'Malley, "Table 2.69: High School Seniors Reporting that They Worry about Crime and Violence, by Sex, Race, Region, College Plans, and Illicit Drug Use, United States, 1990–2002," Monitoring the Future 2000, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI. updated. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC, 2003

(55 percent) and Democrats (58 percent) to express high levels of confidence. A strong majority in all demographic groups had at least some confidence in the police.

According to Factors That Influence Public Opinion of the Police (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, 2003), police can improve public opinion in the community by increasing the number of informal contacts they have with citizens. These contacts can include community meetings, talking with citizens, and increasing police visibility in the neighborhoods. Such contacts improved public opinion even when the local crime rate was high. They also lessened the negative impact when residents had formal contacts with police, such as being arrested or questioned. These improvements were found regardless of the residents' race or ethnicity.