NCJ Number
188455
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: March-April 2001 Pages: 87-99
Date Published
March 2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed a rare data set that contained information about public attitudes toward the police in China and the United States.
Abstract
The data came from the World Values Survey of 1991. The survey used nationally representative samples of adults in more than 42 countries. The Gallup Poll collected information from 1,791 persons in the United States during May and June 1990. Jiang Xingrong and Xiang Zongde of the China Statistical Information Center collected information from 998 Chinese during July and December 1990. The surveys asked participants whether the level of their confidence in the police amounted to a great deal, quite a lot, not very much, or none at all. Results revealed that the public in the United States had greater confidence in the police than did their Chinese counterparts. The mean score of confidence in the police was 2.93 in the United States and 2.80 in China. The difference in average scores was statistically significant at the .05 level. The Tiananmen incident had undoubtedly contributed to this gap, although the extent of this effect was unknown. Findings were preliminary and constrained by the particular timing. In addition, the survey did not include many salient variables that might have been controlled. However, results indicated that a universal pattern of evaluating the police was emerging despite the cultural, economic, and political differences. Tables, notes, and 66 references (Author abstract modified)