NCJ Number
196071
Journal
Criminology Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2002 Pages: 435-456
Editor(s)
Robert J. Bursik Jr.
Date Published
May 2002
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article presents analysis of a survey of racial profiling attitudes and public perceptions regarding the practice.
Abstract
The authors studied the perceptions of African-Americans and Caucasians of the use of racial profiling in police stops. An overview of the scope of racial profiling and the types of activities that may fall into that category is presented. Data regarding the personal experiences of research subjects with racial profiling are also included. The data analyzed was extracted from the 1999 Gallup Poll Social Audit on Black/White Relations in the United States and included an oversample of African-American respondents. Three indicators from the survey were used in this study. Those indicators included whether or not the respondent perceived racial profiling to be wide-spread, whether the respondent approved of the practice, and whether the respondent had ever felt that they had been stopped by police because of their race or ethnicity. The responses studied indicate that the vast majority of both groups stated that they disapproved of the practice. The majority of Caucasian respondents reported a belief that the practice was wide-spread, but this perception was less widely held among Caucasian respondents as compared to African-American respondents. Reports of the perception of personal experiences with racial profiling were most common among younger, African-American males. The data also indicated that socio-economic status had an impact on perception of racial profiling among African-Americans. Specifically, middle-class African-Americans reported greater prevalence of personal experiences with racial profiling and were therefore more likely to believe that the practice was widespread. 3 tables, 5 notes, 55 references