The influence of strain on law enforcement legitimacy evaluations

• Perceived police legitimacy is regressed on strain
• Strain, after controlling for procedural justice, impacts legitimacy ratings
• Officers should interact with citizens in procedurally just manners
• Officers should consider people’s strain levels when enforcing the law

PurposeWhile law enforcement officers have the state-sanctioned authority to use force as a way to ensure citizen obedience with the law, research has found that when private citizens evaluate the police as legitimate, they are more likely to comply with legal demands and cooperate with the police. Although procedural justice has shown to be a highly significant predictor of perceived police legitimacy, research has found other correlates of this outcome, including ethnic identity, low self-control and structural economic disadvantage. To date, no study has explored whether strain influences perceptions of the legitimacy of law enforcement.MethodsA series of linear regression equations was estimated using survey data collected from a convenience sample of college students to determine the effect of strain on perceived police legitimacy.ResultsEven after controlling for procedural justice, strain exerted a negative and statistically significant influence on law enforcement legitimacy evaluations.ConclusionsPolice officers are encouraged to interact with citizens in procedurally just manners and to also consider people's strain levels when enforcing the law.