Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy > Vol 2 > Issue 2

Senior Citizens as a Pro-Police Interest Group

Rebecca Goldstein, Assistant Professor, Jurisprudence & Social Policy Program, UC Berkeley School of Law, USA, rgoldstein@berkeley.edu
 
Suggested Citation
Rebecca Goldstein (2021), "Senior Citizens as a Pro-Police Interest Group", Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy: Vol. 2: No. 2, pp 303-328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/113.00000039

Publication Date: 10 Jun 2021
© 2021 R. Goldstein
 
Subjects
Public opinion,  Public policy
 
Keywords
Interest groupspolicingracepublic opinion
 

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In this article:
Introduction 
Age, Policy Preferences, and Political Participation 
Data and Methods 
Results 
Discussion and Conclusion 
References 

Abstract

Which groups and individuals influence policy through their political activities? Criminal justice policy, because it is made at the local level, is often excluded from the study of interest group politics. In this paper, I provide evidence that senior citizens operate as a pro-police interest group at the city level. First, I show that senior citizens' attitudes are much more pro-police than their younger counterparts, even within the same race groups. Second, I show that cities with a greater share of residents 65 or older have larger and better-funded police departments, all else equal. These results have important implications for the study of interest groups, racial and ethnic politics, and criminal justice policy.

DOI:10.1561/113.00000039

Companion

Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, Volume 2, Issue 2 Special Issue - Local Political Economy
See the other articles that are part of this special issue.