The Texas and National Public's Confidence in the Police, 1998

"I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one--a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little: the police?"
  Texas
(%)		 United States
(%)
Percentages listed answered "A great deal" or "Quite a lot."
Overall 47 57
 
Sex
Male 49 56
Female 44 57
Race
White 51 59
Black 22 40
Nonwhite* 34 43
Age
18 to 29 44 55
30 to 49 41 51
50 to 64 44 59
Education
High school graduate or less 44 57
Some college 45 58
College graduate 54 50
College post graduate 46 57
Income*
Under $20,000 39 54
$20,000 to $29,999 48 53
$30,000 to $49,999 50 57
$50,000 and over 48 58
Community
Urban 35 52
Suburban 47 60
Rural 50 57
Partisanship
Democrat 42 50
Independent 52 54
Republican 49 67
long description of table

Faith in the thin blue line is significantly weaker in Texas than nationally, as these poll data from 1998 show. Moreover, some groups in Texas have notably less confidence in the police than others. Most starkly only about one in five black Texans has a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police compared with more than half of whites. There is also a notable income-related gap in confidence and a pronounced urban-rural divide. Low income and urban Texans are far less likely to have confidence in the police.

Source: 1998 Texas Crime Poll, Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. (full source, footnote)