Impact of propensity to trust on the perception of police: an integrated framework of legitimacy perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to examine whether a baseline trait-level characteristic, in this case propensity to trust, impacts peoples' perception of procedural justice, police legitimacy, trustworthiness, obligation to obey and cooperation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Hamm and colleagues' (2017) integrated framework of legitimacy (IFL) as the theoretical framework, the current research explores whether individual trait characteristic differences matter. Using a Korean survey in 2019 with 2188 samples aged 19 to 28, this study conducted structural equation modeling to assess the impact of propensity to trust on the latent factors of the IFL.

Findings

The results support the findings of the original IFL. Specifically, when it comes to citizens' perception of police legitimacy, propensity to trust positively and significantly impacts latent factors such as procedural justice, trustworthiness, trust and obligation to obey. However, it fails to impact cooperation in any capacity.

Originality/value

Perception of police legitimacy has been researched extensively by various scholars. Specifically, Tyler's (1990) procedural justice model has been the main focus of police legitimacy research for the past 30 years. However, the current study aims to explore the possibility of trait-level characteristic that may influence peoples' perception of police legitimacy. Specifically, the authors aim to assess individual propensity to trust tendency and its impact on police legitimacy.

Citation

Lee, S. and Lee, J. (2021), "Impact of propensity to trust on the perception of police: an integrated framework of legitimacy perspective", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 44 No. 6, pp. 1108-1122. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2021-0036