Beyond racial resentment: Systemic racism beliefs and public attitudes toward criminal justice institutions and reforms

Introduction: Systemic racism theory has become a central part of academic and public discussions about criminal justice institutions and reforms. Little, however, is known about the association between people's belief in the ubiquity of systemic racism and their attitudes toward criminal justice institutions and reforms. Methods: To fill this gap, we examine the association between systemic racism beliefs and support for police, police reform, and the BLM movement using a national YouGov sample of 1125 U.S. adults. Results: Systemic racism beliefs are associated with Americans’ attitudes toward all three outcomes, net of a wide range of controls, including negative experiences with police, political ideology, and most notably, racial resentment. Conclusion: Our study provides compelling evidence that belief in systemic racism is an important driver of Americans’ support for police, police reforms, and BLM.