More than half have never been detained by police
Core finding
Most Americans (54%) say they have never been detained by police in any capacity, according to a Verasight survey conducted Oct. 1-11, 2024. The remaining 46% report at least one such encounter.
Among the specific encounters, 29% report being stopped in the street or while driving, 18% have been arrested, 10% have been incarcerated in prison or jail, and 7% were detained in some other way.
Selected responses
More than half have never been detained by police.
Have you ever been detained by the police in any capacity?
n = 1,000 · Oct 1–11, 2024 · MoE ±3.4%
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 | Oct 1–11, 2024 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.4% |
| Module | educ_pol |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co
Have you ever been detained by the police in any capacity?
Cite this question
Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2024-103, fielded October 1-11, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.