The negative implications of relative deprivation: an experiment of vicarious police contact and Muslims’ perceptions of police bias

For decades, Muslims living in Western countries have experienced disproportionate scrutiny from police. Such scrutiny can result in relative deprivation; the feeling that they or their group is unfairly disenfranchised compared to others. Scholars have theorised that relatively deprived individuals may assess police-citizen interactions as more biased than non-relatively deprived individuals. Yet, limited research tests this relationship. The current study utilises survey data collected from 502 Muslims in Australia. The survey contained an embedded vignette experiment depicting a male Muslim driver being pulled over by a police officer. The officer’s behaviour was manipulated between participants in the vignette (as procedurally just versus procedurally unjust). Participants were asked if the officer in the vignette acted in a biased manner. Findings showed that officer behaviour significantly impacted perceptions of bias but was moderated by the degree of relative deprivation felt by the participant prior to reading the vignette. Compared to those scoring low on relative deprivation, those scoring high on relative deprivation showed less variation in police bias ratings between the procedurally just and unjust vignette conditions. Implications for the utility of relative deprivation theory in policing, particularly against the backdrop of a renewed focus on police bias, are discussed.