---
title: "Deep racial, partisan divisions in Americans’ views of police officers"
description: "While a large majority of Americans rate police officers positively on a 0-to-100 “feeling thermometer,” whites and blacks differ widely in their views."
date: "2017-09-15"
authors:
  - name: "Hannah Fingerhut"
    job_title: "Former Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/hannah-fingerhut/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/15/deep-racial-partisan-divisions-in-americans-views-of-police-officers/"
---

# Deep racial, partisan divisions in Americans’ views of police officers

While a large majority of Americans rate police officers positively on a 0-to-100 “feeling thermometer,” whites and blacks differ widely in their views, including among Democrats, according to a [Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2017/09/13/partisans-differ-widely-in-views-of-police-officers-college-professors/) conducted in August.

About two-thirds of the public (64%) give officers a warm rating on the scale (between 51 and 100), including 45% who rate them very warmly (76-100). Fewer give a neutral rating of 50 (16%), and just 18% give a cold rating on the scale (0-49).

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/09/FT_17.09.14_policeVews_blacks_hispanics.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/15/deep-racial-partisan-divisions-in-americans-views-of-police-officers/ft_17-09-14_policevews_blacks_hispanics/)

But while a clear majority of whites give law enforcement warm ratings (74%), black and Hispanic views of police are more mixed.

Just three-in-ten black Americans (30%) express warm attitudes about police officers, while 28% offer a neutral rating. Another 38% give a cold rating, including 30% who give a very cold rating (24 or lower on the 0-100 scale).

Among Hispanics, 55% give police officers a warm rating, 25% give law enforcement a neutral rating and 17% have cold views.

These racial and ethnic differences in views of police officers are consistent with [previous Pew Research Center findings](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/09/29/the-racial-confidence-gap-in-police-performance/#blacks-are-less-confident-than-whites-in-their-local-police) that blacks are less likely than whites to express confidence in the police in their communities.

Views of police officers also differ substantially across age groups. About half (48%) of adults younger than 30 give a warm rating to law enforcement, 22% are neutral and another 29% are cold in their assessments. By comparison, 80% of adults ages 65 and older rate police officers warmly, including 61% who have very warm views.

Notably, while greater racial and ethnic diversity among younger adults accounts for some of the age differences in these views, there are significant age differences *within* racial and ethnic groups. For instance, 28% of whites younger than 30 give cold ratings to officers, compared with just 6% of whites 65 and older. And while just 27% of blacks ages 50 and older offer a cold rating for police officers, that rises to 46% among blacks younger than 50.

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/09/FT_17.09.14_policeVews_consReps.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/15/deep-racial-partisan-divisions-in-americans-views-of-police-officers/ft_17-09-14_policevews_consreps/)

Police officers are also viewed more positively by Republicans than Democrats. Among Republicans, 86% give officers a warm rating, including 74% who rate officers very warmly. Among Democrats, 57% give officers a warm rating on the scale (including just 33% who rate officers very warmly), while 21% offer a neutral rating and 19% offer a cold rating.

Conservative and moderate Democrats (58%) and liberal Democrats (56%) are about equally likely to rate officers warmly, but liberal Democrats are less likely to offer a *very *warm rating.

As in the public overall, older Democrats express warmer views of police officers than younger Democrats do. While 70% of Democrats ages 65 and older have a warm view, that compares with fewer than half (46%) of those younger than 30.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/FT_17.09.14_policeVews_amongDems.png)

Three-in-ten Democrats ages 18 to 29 give officers a cold rating.

There is also a substantial racial and ethnic divide in views of police officers among Democrats. While just 32% of black Democrats offer a warm rating of officers, that rises to 52% among Hispanic Democrats and 71% among white Democrats.

Although white Democrats have more positive views of the police than black and Hispanic Democrats, a substantial partisan divide remains among whites: 71% of white Democrats have a warm view of police officers, compared with 87% of white Republicans. This gap is even more pronounced in the shares who rate officers very warmly (41% vs. 76%).