NCJ Number
49365
Journal
Social Science Quarterly Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Dated: (JUNE 1977) Pages: 3-14
Date Published
1977
Length
13 pages
Annotation
TO EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR FOUR LEGAL INSTITUTIONS AND POLICY OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES, INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH A STRATIFIED PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF 1,146 ADULTS IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Abstract
THE FOUR INSTITUTIONS WERE THE POLICE, THE STATE COURTS, THE STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. SUPPORT WAS MEASURED BY AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION WHICH ASKED RESPONDENTS TO IDENTIFY INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES WHICH THEY PARTICULARLY LIKED OR DISLIKED. RESULTS WERE THEN DICHOTOMIZED AS HIGH AND LOW SPECIFIC SUPPORT. DIFFUSE SUPPORT WAS MEASURED ON THE BASIS OF RESPONDENT RATINGS OF JOB PERFORMANCE OF EACH OF THE FOUR INSTITUTIONS. BOTH DIFFUSE AND SPECIFIC SUPPORT VARIED SIGNIFICANTLY AMONG THE FOUR INSTITUTIONS. HIGH DIFFUSE SUPPORT WAS GIVEN TO THE POLICE, THE STATE COURTS, STATE PRISONS, AND THE SUPREME COURT, IN THAT ORDER BY A MAJORITY OF THE RESPONDENTS. IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC SUPPORT, ONLY THE POLICE RECEIVED POSITIVE SPECIFIC SUPPORT. IN GENERAL THEN, SUPPORT APPEARS TO BE A DIFFERENTIATING INSTITUTIONAL ATTRIBUTE AND OVERALL LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR THE POLICE IS HIGHER THAN FOR THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS. ASSESSMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RACE, AGE, EDUCATION, AND INCOME INDICATED THAT NO SOCIOECONOMIC OR RACIAL VARIABLE IS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO SUPPORT FOR ALL FOUR INSTITUTIONS. EACH INSTITUTION HAS ITS OWN SET OF WEAK SOCIOECONOMIC CORRELATES. FOR BOTH THE POLICE AND THE STATE COURTS, PUBLIC SUPPORT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO CONTACT WITH THE INSTITUTION AND SATISFACTION WITH THE CONTACT. FURTHER, THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE STRONGER THAN THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ANY OF THE SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES AND SUPPORT. THE DATA ON THE SUPREME COURT PROVIDE FURTHER VERIFICATION FOR THE PROPOSITION THAT POLICY DECISIONS WHICH MAY BE PERSONALIZED HAVE AN EFFECT ON PUBLIC SUPPORT. BUSING AND SCHOOL PRAYER DECISIONS HAD THE HIGHEST PERSONAL RELEVANCE AND WERE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED BY RESPONDENTS WHEN DISCUSSING SUPPORT; DECISIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL BUT SMALL PERSONAL IMPACT WERE RARELY MENTIONED. RESPONDENT CONTACT WITH STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IS EXTREMELY LIMITED, BUT THE DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE INSTITUTIONS IS RELATIVELY HIGH. CORRECTIONAL POLICIES HAVE GENERALLY LOW VISIBILITY AND RARELY AFFECT THE INDIVIDUAL; THUS, THEY HAVE AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF SUPPORT. VISIBILITY AND SUPPORT OF NONCONTACT/LIMITED-CONTACT INSTITUTIONS TEND TO BE RELATED TO PERCEPTION OF POLICY, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE POLICY IS PERSONALLY AFFECTING, AND PERFORMANCE. FOR THESE INSTITUTIONS, SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES, PARTICULARLY EDUCATION, ARE MORE STRONGLY RELATED TO SUPPORT. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)