The Racial-Partisan Gradient in Policing Attitudes: Toward a Framed-Group-Position Theory

Objectives: Existing applications of the group position thesis emphasize interracial differences in policing attitudes. However, this theoretical approach struggles to account for attitudinal differences among White Americans and the increasing role of partisanship in structuring public opinion on policing. We propose a theoretical revision, framed-group-position theory, which posits that political framing is a chief influencer of White Americans’ attitudes toward policing and other social institutions. By contrast, non-White Americans’ policing attitudes are likely to be based on a collective understanding of experienced subordination. Methods: In two studies, corresponding to two separate data sets (N = 121,000 and N = 1,150), we test whether partisan affiliations differentially influence police reform support across racial identities and if the moderating effect of political beliefs is mediated by racial attitudes. Results: Our findings suggest that political affiliation is differentially associated with police reform support across racial groups. Relative to White respondents, political affiliation has a weaker association with reform support among Black respondents, and this moderated effect is mediated by racial attitudes. Among other ethnoracial respondents, we found a similar yet less pronounced pattern. Conclusions: Framed-group-position theory offers a systemic-racism centered framework to understand interracial differences in both levels and variability in policing and other criminal justice attitudes.