# More than half have never been detained by police

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/more-than-half-have-never-been-detained-by-police/

> Indexed question in Politics.

## Reading

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.

## Topline

Have you ever been detained by the police in any capacity?

More than half have never been detained by police.

Respondents could select more than one option, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

- No, none of these: 53.5%
- Yes, stopped in the street or while driving: 29.4%
- Yes, arrested: 18.5%
- Yes, incarcerated (prison or jail): 9.9%
- Yes, detained in some other way: 6.5%

## 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: 2024-10-01 → 2024-10-11
- 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

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#police-detainment](https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#police-detainment)

## Citation

Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2024-103, fielded October 1-11, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.

Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#police-detainment](https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#police-detainment)