Public Perceptions of the Police During COVID-19: A Cross-National Analysis

• Published date: 01 June 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/07340168231198127
• Author: Joselyne L. Chenane,Amber Horning,Sean Perry,Catherine Stevens
• Date: 01 June 2024

Public Perceptions of the Police

During COVID-19: A

Cross-National Analysis

Joselyne L. Chenane, Amber Horning,

Sean Perry, and Catherine Stevens

Abstract

Using cross-national data collected during the pandemic, this study examines factors inf‌luencing

public willingness to obey and cooperate with police during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data for

the study were garnered using web-based surveys, which yielded about 500 participants from the

U.S., India, Brazil, Kenya, and several Europeancou ntries. OLS resultsrevealed that police legitimacy

remains a crucial predictor of publicwillingness to obey and cooperate withthe police. However,

fears experienced during the pandemic failed to directly predict public’s obligation to obey the

police and their willingness to cooperate with the police. Interestingly, fear had an indirect effect

on the relationship between police legitimacy and the obligation to obey and cooperate with the

police. Conceptualizations of police legitimacy should continue tobe tested, alternative versions

of surveying without the limitations of COVID-19 should be undertaken, and attempts to under-

stand more local environments should be made.

Keywords

police legitimacy, procedural justice, fear, COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

The virulence and transmissibility of COVID-19 spurred local and national governments to pass

numerous measures to safeguard public health (Aknin et al., 2022). Nevertheless, some efforts to

combat the virus challenged the operation of the criminal justice system in unprecedented ways.

As f‌irst responders, police off‌icers are accustomed to dispensing their services under some of the

most critical circumstances. The COVID-19 global pandemic, however, created a series of unprec-

edented and unique challenges for police departments globally, particularly in non-Western countries

School of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Joselyne L. Chenane, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, 113 Wilder St., HSSB 4th Fl. University of Massachusetts,

Lowell, MA 01854, USA.

Email: joselyne_nkogo@uml.edu

Correction (December 2023): This article has been updated with minor grammatical or style corrections since its original

publication.

Article

Criminal Justice Review

2024, Vol. 49(2) 196-221

© 2023 Georgia State University

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/07340168231198127

journals.sagepub.com/home/cjr

(Laufs & Waseem, 2020; Maskály et al., 2021; Papazoglou et al., 2020). COVID-19 displayed in real

time how pandemics cause signif‌icant mortality, social and economic disruption, widespread fear,

and panic (Potter, 2001). In some instances, governments and police engaged in unrivaled social

enforcement and rulings, creating a complex interaction between the public and the government

or police (Miller & Blumstein, 2020). For example, many governments imposed restrictions (such

as stay-at-home requirements, mask mandates, and social distancing measures) during the

COVID-19 pandemic, which police off‌icers enforced in some jurisdictions. However, when the rela-

tionship between the police and the public is already strained, using police to enforce the COVID-19

protocols may have further alienated communities from the police, particularly when police do not

dispense their duties in a professional manner. Indeed, some studies revealed a deterioration in police

legitimacy and public perceptions of the police in some jurisdictions during the COVID-19 pandemic

(Jones, 2020; Pillay, 2022).

There is extensive research examining police legitimacy, which is def‌ined as the “acceptance of

the rules, laws, and precepts that def‌ine the police role in society, and a willingness to grant deference

to police as a consequence of the belief that they are the authorized representatives who dutifully

carry out the rules and laws that make society function smoothly”(Gau, 2014, p. 189; Goldsmith,

2005; Hough, 2012; Jackson & Bradford, 2010; Sargeant et al., 2014; Sun et al., 2014; Sunshine

& Tyler, 2003; Tankebe, 2008; Tyler, 2005a; Van Craen, 2013; Van Craen & Skogan, 2015).

National and international emergencies have the potential to inf‌luence police legitimacy due to the

state of panic they induce, creating disruptions to societal functioning and cohesion. Legitimacy is

crucial during these times because the public may need to rely on the police more amidst such

unprecedented times. As a result, there is a growing body of work around police legitimacy

during national and global emergencies, including natural disasters, climate change, and public

health emergencies (Charman et al., 2022; Jones, 2020). Global emergency events such as

COVID-19 pose several challenges to government agencies, emergency services, and law enforce-

ment due to their unpredictable nature. These agencies must enact measures that are often not com-

prehensively planned (Mead, 2021; Sims, 2007; Zhou & Amaria, 2020).

Scholars havecontended that procedurallyjust policing is essential forbuilding citizens’perceptions

of police legitimacy (Fagan & Davies, 2000; Gau & Brunson, 2010; Hamm et al., 2017; Nix et al.,

2015; Tyler & Fagan, 2008; Tyler et al., 2014). Procedurally just policing entails fair and respectful

treatment of citizensduring encounters (Pryce et al., 2017). During emergencies, the police may strug-

gle to be seen as fair and respectful, particularly in totalitarian societies (Aborisade & Ariyo, 2022;

Gulleng & Sallek, 2020). Instead of utilizing procedurally just policing techniques during emergency

events, police off‌icers may default to law-and-order strategies due to uncertainty , which have been

shown to impact public attitudes toward the police negatively (Jones, 2020).

Furthermore, trust between the public and social service institutions, such as law enforcement

agencies, is essential for maintaining positive police–public relations (Goldsmith, 2005). Trust is crit-

ical for the stability of communities, the integrity of the criminal justice system, and the safe and

effective delivery of policing services (President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015).

Studies in the United States (Sunshine & Tyler, 2003), Europe (Hough, 2012; Jackson &

Bradford, 2010; Van Craen, 2013; Van Craen & Skogan, 2015), Asia (Sun et al., 2014), Australia

(Goldsmith, 2005; Sargeant et al., 2014), and developing countries such as Ghana (Tankebe,

2008) have documented the essential role of trust in motivating cooperation with the police.

Research has also shown that voluntary cooperation in efforts to combat crime and disorder stems

from the trust and conf‌idence that the public has in the police (Pryce, 2018; Pryce & Chenane,

2021; Sampson & Bartusch, 1998; Stoutland, 2001; Tankebe, 2009; Tyler, 2005a).

In this study we explored how perceptions of police legitimacy affect the public’s willingness to

obey and cooperate with police during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we explored whether

fear mediates the relationship between police legitimacy and willingness to obey and cooperate with

Chenane et al.197