ABSTRACT

In any society, the police represent one of the most important institutions of social control. Therefore, attitudes toward the police are a relevant indicator of how citizens perceive the legitimacy of the social order, as well as the degree of social cohesion within a society. The evaluation of such attitudes and their determinants has become a central issue in social research, and one that is particularly influenced by the concept of procedural justice (see, e.g., Cohn, White, and Sanders 2000; Lind and Tyler 1988; Thibaut and Walker 1975; Törnblom and Vermunt 2007; Tyler 1990, 2004).