The impact of perceived organizational justice on job satisfaction among police officers: a moderated mediation model involving organizational identification and supervisor loyalty

Objective To explore the mechanism through which perceived organizational justice influences police job satisfaction, and to test the mediating role of organizational identification and the moderating role of supervisor loyalty. Methods Using stratified cluster sampling, 4,271 active-duty police officers were selected from public security agencies in City R between March and May 2026 as the study sample. The police officers were surveyed using the Organizational justice Scale, Supervisor Loyalty Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, and Organizational Identification Scale. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using SPSS 27.0, PROCESS, and the Bootstrap method. Results There were significant positive correlations ( P < 0.01) between all variables—perceived organizational justice, organizational identification, supervisor loyalty, and job satisfaction—in pairs. Mediation analysis revealed that organizational identification partially mediated the relationship between perceived organizational justice and job satisfaction (95% CI did not include 0). The interaction term between perceived organizational justice and supervisor loyalty significantly influenced organizational identification ( P < 0.001), with a moderated mediation index of −0.003 (95% CI did not include 0), indicating that the moderated mediation effect was established. Conclusion Perceived organizational justice directly and positively predicts job satisfaction among police officers; organizational identification partially mediates the relationship between perceived organizational justice and job satisfaction; and supervisor loyalty negatively moderates the effect of perceived organizational justice on organizational identification. The mechanism through which perceived organizational justice influences job satisfaction among police officers is a moderated mediation effect.