Views on policing and public force
Core finding
Adults showed the strongest support for targeted officer-removal policies. Roughly 48% selected removing officers with repeated excessive-force complaints, and 40% selected removing officers with extremist or paramilitary ties.
Direct reported exposure was less common. About 19% said they or someone in their family had experienced violent police force, while 81% said they had not.
Targeted accountability proposals led the policing list
Roughly 48% of adults supported removing officers with multiple previous excessive-use-of-force complaints. About 40% supported removing officers with ties to extremist or paramilitary groups.
Those were the two strongest policing proposals in the list. They were also more selected than "none of the above," which was chosen by 33%.
Topline
48% supported removing officers with repeated excessive-force complaints.
n = 1,163 · May 28 – Jun 1, 2022 · MoE ±3.0%
Reallocating police funds drew less support
Support was lower for reallocating police funds. About 23% selected community social services, 19% selected trauma centers, and 18% selected minority communities.
Dissolving police unions was selected by about 10%, the lowest selected policing proposal in the set.
Most adults did not report direct family exposure
About 19% of adults said they or someone in their family had been the victim of violent police force. Roughly 81% said they had not.
The broader public-force pattern also included majority support for prohibiting private profit from military weapons manufacturing and sales. Roughly 64% said yes, while 36% said no.
Headline
19% reported personal or family exposure to violent police force.
n = 1,163 · May 28 – Jun 1, 2022 · MoE ±3.0%
Headline
64% would prohibit private profit from military weapons.
n = 1,163 · May 28 – Jun 1, 2022 · MoE ±3.0%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 28 – Jun 1, 2022 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,163 |
| Margin of error | ±3.0% |
| Module | 2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io
Which, if any, of the following proposals to address policing do you support? Select all that apply
- aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io
Have you or someone in your family ever been the victim of violent use of force by police?
- aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io
Should the manufacture and sale of military weapons for private profit be prohibited?
Cite this topic
2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey, fielded May 28-June 1, 2022, N=1,163 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.0%.