New Report: White vs. Nonwhite Democrats’ Attitudes on Depolicing

New York, NY – Support for defunding the police is highest among Democrats, and, perhaps surprisingly, higher among more affluent white and Asian Democrats than blacks and Hispanics. So, is defunding the police an example of a “luxury belief” that only the privileged can afford to back? Some have suggested that championing depolicing allows wealthier Democrats to virtue signal while remaining blissfully insulated from the dangerous realities of such policies. The question then becomes: are pro-defund white Democrats only motivated by a desire to signal higher social status – and only insofar as privilege shields from consequences – or is there something greater at play?  

In a new Manhattan Institute report, Paulson policy analyst Zach Goldberg answers this question by providing the first empirical test of the luxury beliefs hypothesis as it relates to (or in the context of) policing policy attitudes. He finds that indicators of socioeconomic status, such as family income and educational attainment, were indeed predictive of Democrats’ support for defunding and depolicing policies. Yet he also says this cannot be the whole story, as socioeconomic differences explain only a portion of the gaps between white and non-white Democrats’ defunding and depolicing attitudes. Moreover, he finds that even when socioeconomic status and other demographic variables are held constant, white Democrats living in high-crime areas continue to show greater support for these policies.  

Goldberg then posits that ideology is a much more important driver of the white vs. nonwhite support gap than all socioeconomic and demographic variables combined. He theorizes that white Democrats’ persistent support at personal expense is due to their unique group-based moral considerations and pressures that make them less sensitive to or more tolerant of the risks of depolicing policies. 

Click here to view the full report.