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Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

The impact of media exposure and political party orientation on public perceptions of police in Taiwan

Ivan Y. Sun, Yuning Wu, Ruth Triplett and Shun-Yung Kevin Wang

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of media exposure and political party orientation on public satisfaction with and trust in the police in Taiwan.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of media exposure and political party orientation on public satisfaction with and trust in the police in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from more than 2,000 respondents in three large metropolises and two rural counties in Taiwan in 2011. Multivariate regression was used to assess the effects of media exposure and political party affiliation on public satisfaction with and trust in the police, controlling for crime experience, neighborhood conditions, background characteristics, and locality.

Findings

Taiwanese who were exposed to media reports of police misconduct and believed in the authenticity of such reports were more likely to have lower levels of satisfaction with national police and trust in the police. Though it varied somewhat by whether it was satisfaction with national or local police, the Taiwanese respondents who identified themselves as supporters of the opposition party, or politically neutral, showed lower levels of satisfaction with and trust in the police than supporters for the ruling party. Respondents who shared the same political party orientation expressed higher levels of satisfaction with local police.

Research limitations/implications

The measures of media influence, while classic and straightforward, were relatively simple and future research should not only quantify the links between media use and public trust, but also develop a qualitative cultural understanding of the communicative roles that the media play in shaping public perceptions of the police. In addition, while this study relied on a scientific sampling procedure, the sample cannot completely represent the general population in Taiwan.

Practical implications

It is important for police departments to cultivate good relations with the news media and to adopt a balanced role between law enforcers who are capable of curbing crime and reducing fear of crime, and moral guardians who are willing to uphold community social cohesion and value structures.

Originality/value

Despite a growing number of studies on public assessments in the police in Taiwan, empirical research on the impact of media and political orientation on satisfaction with and trust in the police remains very limited. This study represents one of the first attempts to assess factors related to media and political party orientation in Taiwan.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2015-0099
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Media effects
  • Policing in Taiwan
  • Political party orientation
  • Satisfaction with police
  • Trust in police

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Article
Publication date: 3 December 2018

Race/ethnicity, discrimination, and confidence in order institutions

Yuning Wu and Liqun Cao

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a conceptual model that explains racially/ethnically differential confidence in order institutions through a mediating…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a conceptual model that explains racially/ethnically differential confidence in order institutions through a mediating mechanism of perception of discrimination.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on a nationally representative sample of 1,001 respondents and path analysis to test the relationships between race/ethnicity, multiple mediating factors, and confidence in order institutions.

Findings

Both African and Latino Americans reported significantly lower levels of confidence compared to White Americans. People who have stronger senses of being discriminated against, regardless of their races, have reduced confidence. A range of other cognitive/evaluative variables have promoted or inhibited people’s confidence in order institutions.

Research limitations/implications

This study relies on cross-sectional data which preclude definite inferences regarding causal relationships among the variables. Some measures are limited due to constraint of data.

Practical implications

To lessen discrimination, both actual and perceived, officials from order institutions should act fairly and impartially, recognize citizen rights, and treat people with respect and dignity. In addition, comprehensive measures involving interventions throughout the entire criminal justice system to reduce racial inequalities should be in place.

Social implications

Equal protection and application of the law by order institutions are imperative, so are social policies that aim to close the structural gaps among all races and ethnicities.

Originality/value

This paper takes an innovative effort of incorporating the currently dominant group position perspective and the injustice perspective into an integrated account of the process by which race and ethnicity affect the perception of discrimination, which, in turn, links to confidence in order institutions.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 41 no. 6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2017-0031
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Discrimination
  • Police
  • Public perceptions

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Article
Publication date: 26 August 2020

Organizational support and Chinese police officers’ attitudes toward intervention into domestic violence

Yuning Wu, Kai Lin, Luye Li and Xiying Wang

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese police officers’ general support for police intervention into domestic violence, emphasizing adequate protection of the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese police officers’ general support for police intervention into domestic violence, emphasizing adequate protection of the victims, and specific support for utilizing arrests to deal with the offenders.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on survey data collected from 1,064 police officers who worked in multiple areas in two provinces of China between June and July of 2019. OLS models were used to test whether organizational variables are significant predictors of officer attitudes toward domestic violence intervention.

Findings

Both agency endorsement and supervisory support are positively related to officers’ favorable attitudes toward police intervention into domestic violence and using arrests to handle offenders. The amount of training received from the agency on the recently promulgated Anti-Domestic Violence Law, however, has a negative influence on officer support for general intervention into domestic violence and no influence on officer attitudes toward arrests.

Originality/value

This study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the connections between organizational and managerial factors and Chinese officers’ support for both general and specific interventions into domestic violence. It contributes to the current literature that only included police cadets in the analysis of Chinese police attitudes toward domestic violence despite the fundamental differences between cadets and active-duty officers.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-04-2020-0048
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • China
  • Police intervention
  • Domestic violence
  • Organizational support
  • Arrest

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Article
Publication date: 23 October 2020

Neighborhood context, police legitimacy and willingness to help the police in Shanghai, China

Siyu Liu, Yuning Wu, Ivan Sun and Feng Li

Following social disorganization theory and the process-based model of policing, the present study aims to examine how characteristics of communities are meaningful in…

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Abstract

Purpose

Following social disorganization theory and the process-based model of policing, the present study aims to examine how characteristics of communities are meaningful in shaping citizens' willingness to work with the police in urban China.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on survey data from Shanghai, China, the study adopts a generalized hierarchical linear modeling (GHLM) approach to examine the effects of both individual- and neighborhood-level predictors on the outcome, while taking into consideration the unobserved additional neighborhood-level variations.

Findings

Results suggest potential need of the process-based model to be modified in a Chinese context in that while police presence matters, measures on legitimacy are nonsignificant in shaping willingness to help the police, after controlling for neighborhood characteristics. More importantly, collective efficacy at the neighborhood level is related positively to residents' willingness to work with the police. Constant attention should be paid to the promotion of a collaborative and collectively caring environment, which can contribute to better coordination with the police, and greater willingness to be part of the larger cause of public safety.

Originality/value

The paper advances the scholarship with multi-level modeling and the role of communities in building stronger relationship with the police.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 6
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2020-0073
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Collective efficacy
  • Police legitimacy
  • Chinese police
  • Procedural justice
  • Willingness to help the police

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Article
Publication date: 12 August 2019

Group position, consciousness and perception of police fairness among urban residents in China

Yuning Wu, Ivan Sun, Feng Li and Siyu Liu

The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of group position and consciousness in predicting people’s perceptions of police fairness in China.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of group position and consciousness in predicting people’s perceptions of police fairness in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used survey data collected from 1,095 respondents in Shanghai. Multivariate regression was used to analyze the effects of group positions and group consciousness variables on perceived police fairness, controlling for personal, experiential and neighborhood factors.

Findings

Regardless of their own hukou status, individuals who live in high migrant areas expressed less favorable attitudes toward police fairness. Meanwhile, people who displayed greater degrees of sensitivity to bias in law rated police fairness less favorably, whereas people who expressed higher levels of moral alignment with the law and belief in no choice but to obey the police rated police fairness more favorably. Lower levels of neighborhood disorder and higher degrees of cohesion were also associated with more positive evaluations of police fairness.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ measure of migrant concentration was constructed based on respondents’ own assessments of this neighborhood feature. Future studies should consider using objective measures to supplement the construction of migrant concentration variables. The authors’ group consciousness variables are limited as they are general, non-residential status specific and only capture part of the traditionally conceptualized variable of group consciousness. Future study should employ better-worded items that can tap precisely into people’s various dimensions of social consciousness based on their group status.

Practical implications

Training officers has to give a high priority to the principles of both procedural and distributive justice, and implement performance and evaluation policies that support fair and responsive police behavior, particularly during situations where citizens report crime to and seek help from the police.

Originality/value

Despite their high relevance, variables reflecting group position have received marginal attention in previous research on public evaluations of the police in China. This study represents a first attempt to examine how the interactions between residence status and the level of neighborhood migrant concentration influence Chinese attitudes toward police fairness.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 42 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2018-0135
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • China
  • Citizen perceptions
  • Police fairness

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Article
Publication date: 3 January 2020

Social capital and public willingness to cooperate with the police in China

Kang Hu, Rong Hu, Ivan Sun and Yuning Wu

Public cooperation with the police is of great significance in the maintenance of social security and social harmony, but studies investigating the mechanisms of public…

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Abstract

Purpose

Public cooperation with the police is of great significance in the maintenance of social security and social harmony, but studies investigating the mechanisms of public cooperation with the police in China are scarce. Using survey data obtained from Xiamen, China, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of social capital on willingness to cooperate with the police and their mediating mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

Data with 938 respondents were used in this study. Ordinary least squares regression models were used to test the influence of social capital on the willingness of the Chinese public to cooperate with the police and its mediating mechanisms.

Findings

The results show that associational life participation, social trust and neighborhood cohesion can all enhance public willingness to cooperate with the police by cultivating public spirit or trust in government, whereas participation in community collective resistance is negatively correlated with willingness to cooperate with the police. Theoretical explanations are offered to understand different effects of social capital elements on public cooperation with the police, and possible ways to foster such cooperation are discussed.

Originality/value

This paper takes the lead in examining the effects of social capital on willingness to cooperate with the police and their mediating mechanisms in China.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2019-0143
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Social capital
  • Trust in government
  • Chinese police
  • Cooperation with police
  • Public spirit

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Article
Publication date: 11 March 2014

Support for community policing in India and the US: an exploratory study among college students

Eric Lambert, Yuning Wu, Shanhe Jiang, Karuppannan Jaishankar, Sudershan Pasupuleti, Jagadish Bhimarasetty and Brad Smith

While there is a growing body of studies on the people's views of community policing, there have been a very few cross-national studies. The purpose of this paper is to…

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Abstract

Purpose

While there is a growing body of studies on the people's views of community policing, there have been a very few cross-national studies. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast students’ views on community policing from India and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were from a survey from a total of 434 Indian and 484 US college students.

Findings

Punitive orientation had a significant effect on attitudes toward community policing, but was related to an increase in the support in India and reduction of support in the USA. Among the Indian respondents, concern for crime and support for aggressive policing had positive associations with support for community policing, and police involvement in the community had a negative association. Among the US respondents, age, educational level, and perceptions of police effectiveness had positive associations with support for community policing, and holding a punitive orientation had a negative association.

Originality/value

This study represents the attempt to examine Indian perceptions of community policing empirically. Uncovering factors that affect public support for community policing can provide useful references for police administrators to develop policies and practices that encourage more active community involvement in crime control.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2011-0098
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • India
  • Community relations

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Article
Publication date: 31 May 2011

Citizen support for community policing in China

Yuning Wu, Shanhe Jiang and Eric Lambert

This study aims to examine Chinese college students' support for community policing.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine Chinese college students' support for community policing.

Design/methodology/approach

Ordinary least squares regression was used to investigate support for community policing based on survey data collected from over 400 college students.

Findings

Results showed that college students in general had positive attitudes toward the philosophy and practices of community policing. Support for community policing was significantly related to concerns of crime, perceptions of police, and attachment to conventional society. Individual background characteristics had no significant effect on support for community policing.

Research limitations/implications

The use of a college student sample has its weaknesses in that findings of this study have a limited generalizability, and some important predictors in explaining public perceptions, such as neighborhood characteristics, were not included. Future research should collect data from the general public and examine public attitudes toward different elements of community policing, and both perceptual and behavioral dimensions of support for community policing.

Originality/value

This study represents the first attempt to examine Chinese perceptions of community policing empirically. Uncovering factors that affect public support for community policing can provide useful references for police administrators to develop policies and practices that encourage more active community involvement in crime control.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511111131094
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Community policing
  • Attitudes to the police
  • China

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Article
Publication date: 9 March 2010

Perceptions of police: an empirical study of Chinese college students

Yuning Wu and Ivan Y. Sun

This study aims to examine Chinese college students' perceptions of police.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine Chinese college students' perceptions of police.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data collected from over 400 college students in two cities, the study empirically analyzes the global and specific perceptions of police among Chinese college students and factors that accounted for the variation in Chinese college students' evaluations of police. The study incorporates a broader range of explanatory variables to explain Chinese college students' attitudes toward the police, including demographic characteristics, crime and criminal justice experience, perceptions of quality of life, and locality. The study reviews research on public perceptions of police published in Chinese academic journals.

Findings

College students' global satisfaction with police as well as their specific evaluations of police fairness, effectiveness, and integrity were significantly related to their crime and criminal justice experience, perceived quality of life, and locality. Students' background characteristics only had a weak effect on attitudes toward police.

Research limitations/implications

More empirical research is warranted to gauge the extent of Chinese satisfaction with police and police performance. Future research should continue incorporating crime and criminal justice factors into analysis.

Practical implications

Findings of the study provide Chinese police administrators with useful references and directions to improve police‐community relations..

Originality/value

This study represents one of the few attempts to empirically assess Chinese citizens' perceptions of police. It examines not just Chinese college students' global satisfaction with the police, but also their more specific views of various areas of police performance including fairness, effectiveness, and integrity.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511011020610
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • Police
  • Students
  • Perception
  • China

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Article
Publication date: 2 November 2012

Chinese immigrants’ contact with police

Yuning Wu, Ruth Triplett and Ivan Y. Sun

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese immigrants’ contact with local police, uncovering the extent, nature, distribution, and consequences of police contact…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese immigrants’ contact with local police, uncovering the extent, nature, distribution, and consequences of police contact. Although literature on immigrants’ perceptions of the police has been accumulating during the past few years, research on immigrants’ encounters with the police remains extremely limited.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on survey data collected from approximately 350 foreign‐born Chinese immigrants residing in New York City, Philadelphia, and Delaware. Non‐probability (both purposive and convenience) sampling methods are used.

Findings

Chinese immigrants report a higher rate of police contact than the general public, with the most frequent contact occurring through traffic law violations or accidents. Immigrants who are male, older, and recent arrivals to the USA, and have vicarious experience with the police are more likely to have police contact, particularly officer‐initiated contact. The mere occurrence of contact does not affect Chinese immigrants’ global satisfaction with the police. There is, however, a significant positive link between satisfaction with recent contact and global satisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper's findings improve our understanding of police‐community relations regarding Asian Americans and also contribute to the broad literature on race/ethnicity and policing by incorporating both immigration status and ecological context into analysis.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511211275634
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

  • United States of America
  • Policing
  • Immigrants
  • Community relations
  • Chinese people
  • Police
  • Citizen satisfaction

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