Addressing public opinion misperceptions of racial disparities in the criminal justice system

People often misperceive public opinion, challenging public engagement. Addressing mixed findings on corrective interventions, we conducted two studies on White Americans’ perception of public opinion regarding racial biases in policing practices. Majority view holders (i.e. those recognizing racial biases in policing) generally reported accurate estimates of public opinion and were unaffected by a message emphasizing public opinion statistics. However, minority view holders (i.e. those rejecting the presence of racial biases) mostly underestimated public recognition of racial biases in policing. Highlighting public opinion statistics increased this group’s awareness of racial biases, but only for those who strongly identified as Americans.