Adolescents' views of defunding the police, abolishing the police, and The Talk

Introduction Definitions regarding defunding or abolishing the police are highly contested in the United States. Moreover, adolescents' definitions and how socialization processes shape their definitions are unclear. Methods Within a national sample of 822 adolescents ages 13-17 (49.69% female; 63.22% White, 16.93% Black/African American, 11.01% Hispanic/Latinx) surveyed in July 2020, this study examined how youth define defunding versus abolishing the police, how much parents talk to youth about the police (i.e., the Talk), and whether relations emerged between defunding/abolishing the police and the Talk. Results Youth supported defunding more than abolishing (d = 0.57). Support for abolishing was higher for youth who frequently received the Talk (b = 0.25). Differences by race and gender were uncovered in how frequently youth received the Talk. Conclusions Police must recognize that coercion, fear, and biased policing breed discontent and promote families to engage in protective parenting strategies including engaging in the Talk.

Automated summary

This study examined the definitions of defunding and abolishing the police among American adolescents and how parental communication about the police relates to these definitions. The results showed that adolescents were more supportive of defunding the police, and those who frequently received parental communication about the police were more supportive of abolishing the police. Furthermore, differences by race and gender were found in the frequency of parental communication.