There has been a lot of discussion around the routine arming of New Zealand police. This is an extremely divisive topic, and this study aims to explore what factors can best predict attitudes toward the routine carrying of firearms by New Zealand police. This study will use a survey, sent out via Canvas and Facebook, to gather demographic and political information, as well as opinions on police legitimacy and crime.

Finding out what factors can best predict attitudes towards the routine carrying of firearms by New Zealand police can help inform policy decisions, as well as decisions made around the arming of police. Making the decision that is most in line with public opinion and public comfort should be the priority, especially around firearms. A survey, such as the one conducted in this study, is very important for informing decision-making at higher levels.

Previous research has shown that trust in the police is an incredibly important factor in determining how someone feels about arming them. Kyprianides et al., 2020, discovered that pictures of police with weapons were consistently rated as less acceptable than pictures of the same police without weapons.

Nadal et al., (2017) also looked into public perceptions of police, but more specifically at the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color, highlighting how most studies tend to compare the perspective of particular communities of color to white Americans, without looking into the between-group differences. They found that Black participants were more likely than White or Latino participants to view police negatively.

Reynolds et al., (2018) developed a scale, over the course of multiple studies, that aimed to measure attitudes towards police legitimacy. The items for the scale were created and the structure explored, the structure was confirmed, and the predictive validity of the scale was tested. They concluded their research with a 34-item scale that predicted multiple outcomes in various scenarios, as well as correlations with self-reported criminal activity, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. This scale is useful for the study of police legitimacy, and so it will be included in the study I am conducting.

Roberts et al., (2012) discussed the options surrounding conducting research into public attitudes to criminal justice. They touch on how decisions about individuals should not be influenced by public opinion, but there should be some degree of public support for or at least acceptance of these criminal justice policies.