Journal article
Early adolescent attitudes toward the police post-Floyd
Journal of crime & justice, Vol.49(1), pp.17-27
01/2026
DOI: 10.1080/0735648X.2024.2436412
Abstract
The current study assesses the impact of the movement that followed George Floyd’s murder on early adolescent attitudes toward the police (ATP). Using a repeated cross-sectional design, we examine ATP among a Midwestern sample of 5th and 6th grade students before (fall 2018 and fall 2019) and after (fall 2020) Floyd’s murder. Descriptive results reveal that the distributions of ATP were identical during fall 2018 and fall 2019 survey years but shifted during the fall 2020 survey year. Results from mixed effects linear regression models indicate that Black and White girls experienced the largest declines in ATP from fall 2019 to fall 2020. Boys, particularly White boys, were less impacted. While Black boys’ average attitudes did not change in the post-Floyd era, overall, their attitudes were significantly lower than other groups. The findings highlight the need for ongoing measurement of early adolescent perceptions of law enforcement during the post-Floyd era and the current legitimacy crisis.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Early adolescent attitudes toward the police post-Floyd
- Creators
- Ethan M. Rogers - University of IowaChris Melde - Michigan State UniversityJalena Williams - Michigan State UniversityJustin Heinze - University of Michigan
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of crime & justice, Vol.49(1), pp.17-27
- DOI
- 10.1080/0735648X.2024.2436412
- ISSN
- 0735-648X
- eISSN
- 2158-9119
- Number of pages
- 11
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 12/17/2024
- Date published
- 01/2026
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology; Center for Social Science Innovation; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984770892802771
Metrics
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