Revisiting Support for the Collection of Race and Crime Statistics: Results From Two Waves of Pennsylvania Statewide Lion Poll Data

Sixty years after Gilbert Geis’s denouncement of the use of racialized crime statistics in America, we revisit an underexplored topic of public sentiments toward the tabulation of arrest statistics by race. Using data from Pennsylvania in 2010 and 2023 ( N = 1,856), we examine the trend and correlates of public opposition toward this type of data tabulation. Additionally, we explore the impact of public concern about this data’s possible perpetuation of racial stereotypes. Results indicate a significant decrease, from 2010 to 2023, in opposition to racialized arrest data. Sex, education level, and stereotype concern were significant correlates. Interestingly, the effect of stereotype concern was weaker among Black individuals compared to whites. The sociopolitical implications of these findings are discussed.