Public support for police drone missions depends on political affiliation and neighborhood demographics

Background: As unmanned aerial systems (UAS) become more common, it is important to understand public opinion and support for these UAS. The current research attempts to investigate support for law enforcement usage of UAS, and the factors affecting this support. Methods: A three-study mixed methods approach was taken. In the first study, participants responded to questions asking their level of support for police UAS usage in neighborhoods with varying racial compositions, as well as answering free response questions related to the scenario. The second and third study investigated support for police UAS usage, and whether or not this was influenced by participants' political affiliation. Results: Study one indicated that participants displayed significantly more support for law enforcement's use of UAS when flying over a predominately African-American neighborhood than when flying over a primarily Caucasian neighborhood. Study two furthered these results by finding that those identifying as liberal showed less support for law enforcement UAS use, and expressed higher levels of privacy concerns than those identifying as conservative. Study three further investigated political affiliation using the Nolan Chart survey, finding that libertarians, liberals, conservatives, and authoritarians had differing levels of support and privacy concerns. Conclusions: This research adds to a foundation of understanding consumer acceptance and support for law enforcement UAS usage. As this practice becomes more common, it is important to understand support, as individual perceptions will likely influence actions. This work has numerous practical applications for policy and design.