Public Assessments of the Police in Rural and Urban China: A Theoretical Extension and Empirical Investigation

Although the past decade has witnessed the burgeoning of studies on Chinese evaluations of the police, several issues remain under-addressed, including the perceptions of rural residents, the multidimensional nature of assessments of the police, and the effects of social and political activities. This study addresses these concerns by analysing data collected from both rural and urban China. Contrary to Western evidence, villagers were found to display lower degrees of satisfaction with their police than urbanites. Chinese trust in the police is one-dimensional in nature and is distinguishable from and predicted by satisfaction with the police. Chinese assessments of the police were significantly linked to trust in neighbourhood committees, participation in conflict resolution, perceived law and order, and quality of life.