This article reports on an examination among Black and White youths’ attitudes toward police after the George Floyd murder, comparing survey data from 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The current study assesses the impact of the movement that followed George Floyd’s murder on early adolescent attitudes toward the police (ATP). Using a repeated cross-sectional design, the authors examine ATP among a Midwestern sample of 5th and 6th grade students before (fall 2018 and fall 2019) and after (fall 2020) Floyd’s murder. Descriptive results reveal that the distributions of ATP were identical during fall 2018 and fall 2019 survey years but shifted during the fall 2020 survey year. Results from mixed effects linear regression models indicate that Black and White girls experienced the largest declines in ATP from fall 2019 to fall 2020. Boys, particularly White boys, were less impacted. While Black boys’ average attitudes did not change in the post-Floyd era, overall, their attitudes were significantly lower than other groups. The findings highlight the need for ongoing measurement of early adolescent perceptions of law enforcement during the post-Floyd era and the current legitimacy crisis. (Published Abstract Provided)