Protesting the police: an analysis of the correlates of support for police reform following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests

ABSTRACT

The social movement literature has long recognized a disjunct between how the public evaluates a protest’s message and means. Even during times of heightened sympathy for a protest’s message – such as occurred following George Floyd’s murder – the public can remain critical of a protest movement itself. In this study, we examine the correlates of support for a range of police reforms following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. We find that support for police reform varies widely based upon the specific reform. Moreover, we find perceptions of the means and makeup of the protestors – how they protest and who they are – influence support for their message. Further, we find that support for police reform is affected by a respondent’s individual characteristics and prior beliefs about race and policing. This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between how the means and ends of social movements are perceived.

KEYWORDS:

• public opinion
• protests
• race
• police violence
• black lives matter
• police reform

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Alex S. Vitale for comments on an earlier draft of this paper and the editors and anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Peter A Hanink, upon reasonable request.

IRB Statement

The University of Nevada, Reno Institutional Review Board determined that this research was Exempt from IRB Review (1626804-2).

Notes

1. This study does not include every reform Campaign Zero recommends. For instance, two reforms not included within this study are increasing the diversity of police departments and making it harder for police unions to shield their members from liability.

2. All analyses were conducted with and without the respondents who failed to respond the ‘state’ question. While there were no significant differences in the results, we have opted to report those from the smaller sample to ensure the highest quality data.

3. Scores of 5, 6, or 7 on a 7-point scale indicate ‘support’

Additional information

Funding

The research was paid for with start up funding from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Notes on contributors

Peter A Hanink

Peter A Hanink is an assistant professor of Criminology & Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His research focuses on race and policing, specifically racialized police violence and has been published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology.

AdamDunbar is an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He researches the intersection of race and the criminal justice system, focusing specifically on how attitudes about race, culture, and crime can help explain racial disparities in policing and punishment. His work has been published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, Race and Justice, and Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.