Nevertheless, a majority (54%) of Americans are concerned police drones may invade their privacy. Since police drones are new, the nation has had little debate over their use. People may change their minds about them as they become more familiar with the technology and related policy issues.
Respect for authority figures and general trust in the police likely increases approval of police drones. Americans who score high on the Respect for Authority Index (RAI) are 25 points more likely than those who score low to oppose police using drone technology (71% vs. 46%).68 Similarly, those favorable toward the police are 31 points more likely than those with unfavorable views to support police drones (68% vs. 37%).
Young people are more concerned than older people about the risks of drones. Sixty percent (60%) of millennials are worried drones may invade people's privacy while 40% are not. Only 40% of seniors are concerned about drones and 60% are not.
Americans who score high on the Respect for Authority Index (RAI) are 19 points less likely than those who score low to be concerned about drones invading privacy (42% vs. 61%).
Predictably, people who trust the police are less concerned about them abusing new technology. Drone critics will need to explain how even a trustworthy police department may overstep its bounds with drones.
Notes:
67 See Appendix A for an explanation of ideological clusters.
68 The Respect for Authority Index (RAI) is a composite scale based on averaging responses to three questions measuring people's general respect for authority, without asking explicitly about police authority. See Appendix E for question wording and further details. High Respect for Authority (RAI) scores are defined as those in the top quartile, while low RAI scores are defined as those in the bottom quartile.