In this experiment, participants were asked about their attitudes toward justice-involved people with felony convictions. Each participant was randomly assigned person-first language, "person convicted of a felony," or crime-first language, "convicted felon" in their survey questions.
Attitudes were operationalized as comfort with proximity (how comfortable participants reported being physically close to a justice-involved person) and willingness to interact (how willing participants reported physically engaging with a justice-involved person).
Several control variables were measured including age, region of permanent residence, gender identity, race or ethnicity, education, religious affiliation, political ideology, & previous experience with the criminal justice system.
The felony label affects more than 19 million Americans with a felony record. Being labeled a “felon” means that you lose the right to vote, access to government benefits, access to employment and business opportunities, and other rights on top of your sentence. Few studies have looked at the felony label despite its significance.
Does the use of person-first language affect participants' attitudes toward justice-involved people?
Based on previous research, it was predicted that participants assigned person-first language would report more accepting attitudes (greater willingness and comfort).
Are attitudes influenced by previous experiences with the criminal justice system or justice-involved people?
Based on previous research, it was predicted that previous experience with the criminal justice system or justice-involved people would be associated with more accepting attitudes.
The survey was distributed through several social media outlets and group messages, including the researcher's network and UMD student groups. The sample was comprised of permanent US residents who are 18+ years old.
The survey received 251 total interactions, with 209 complete responses. 103 participants were assigned crime-first language and 106 were assigned person-first language.