Intersectional Stereotypes in Policing: An Analysis of Traffic Stop Outcomes

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Last Modified
  • March 22, 2019
Creator
  • Christiani, Leah
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
Abstract
  • Studies of racial profiling typically focus on a White/Black or White/minority dichotomy. In this project, I extend that analysis to multiple racial, gender, and class groups. I use data from every traffic stop that occurred in six states over multiple years, amounting to more than 15 million traffic stops. Using this original and unique dataset, I am able to draw conclusions about the outcomes that individual drivers face as a result of their intersectional racial, gender, and class-based perceived identities. I attribute this phenomenon to widely held stereotypes about social groups, rather than to individually prejudiced police officers. Overall, I find that social groups that are stereotyped as more suspicious receive the harshest treatment from police, while those who are not considered suspicious receive lighter treatment, in the aggregate.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Resource type
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Baumgartner, Frank
  • Clark, Christopher
  • Benjamin, Andrea
Degree
  • Master of Arts
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2017
Language

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details Christiani_unc_0153M_17144.pdf 2019-04-11 Public Download