Exploring Procedural Justice and Morality : A Quantitative Study of Attitudes Toward Predictive Policing Among German University Students

Introduction: Predictive policing (PP) is a crime forecasting technology that utilises big data to predict patterns of crime in specific areas.Most research on PP focuses on its benefits and shortcomings, rather than examining attitudes towards it.Given that PP affects communities differently, the public's perspective should not be overlooked.This study aims to examine the attitudes of German university students towards predictive policing (PP).The study is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of procedural justice and morality.Methods: An anonymous websurvey was conducted (N = 226).The sample population was drawn using the SurveyCircle survey tool and social media.Multiple linear regression analysis was performed for all four outcome variables measuring attitudes towards predictive policing.Results: Procedural justice plays a vital role in shaping attitudes towards PP.The perceived legitimacy of the police appeared to have the most consistent effect on all outcomes, being associated with higher perceived suitability of, greater trust in, and more positive and critical attitudes towards PP.Morality was a significant factor in predicting more supportive and less critical attitudes towards PP.However, it could not be proven that it mediated procedural justice judgements, except for the perceived procedural fairness.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that involving the public through attitude research offers valuable feedback on PP-technologies.Implementing such a feedback loop can help strengthen trust in and the legitimacy of the police.As the first of its kind in Germany, this study serves as a focal point for further research on procedural justice and PP.Further research should focus on additional confounding variables, particularly ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and include a representative sample of the population to yield more in-depth and reliable results.