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Category: Project

Description: Abstract: While research has shown that the quality of the relationship between teacher and child is associated with more positive perceptions of school authorities, there has been relatively less attention to the processes that connect attitudes towards different sources of authority, such as between teachers and police. The current study uses a counterfactual approach to estimate the direct and indirect effects of teacher-child relationships on children’s later perceptions of police legitimacy. Using data from a longitudinal study of youth in Zurich, Switzerland, this study applies non-bipartite propensity score matching to identify matched pairs (n=232 pairs, 55% male) of children with better versus worse relationships with their teacher at age 11 following a teacher change. Matched pairs were then compared on potential mediators (moral norms about deviant behavior and low self-control) at age 13 and perceptions of police legitimacy at age 15. Analyses showed that positive teacher-child relationships lead to more prosocial moral norms and higher self-control, and in turn more positive perceptions of police legitimacy in adolescence. The current study demonstrates the importance of early relationships with teachers in shaping perceptions of police legitimacy, and the interconnection between non-legal and legal authorities within the legal socialization process.