Factors Impacting Diverse Students' Perceptions of the Police at Two Urban Colleges

The number of studies exploring the perceptions of college students towards the police has been small, with only two that include diverse urban college students as part of the samples. At two colleges in a large northeastern US city 1,103 students completed surveys that included items inquiring about personal information and their interactions with the police. Scales measuring the students' confidence in the police (CP) and attitudes towards the police (ATP) were utilized. Of 9 racial groups, White students demonstrated the highest levels of CP and ATP, and Black students demonstrated the lowest levels. Many variables impacted CP and ATP in both bivariate and multivariate analyses, with neighborhood safety, race, and the students' and their close friends' involuntary encounters with the police the most robust factors. Other variables impacting either CP or ATP were gender, sexual orientation, country of birth, and commitment to education. The results of the study are framed through critical race theory.