Vidi for Amy Nivette: research into trust in the police

Sociologist Amy Nivette has been selected for a Vidi grant by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). This funding – with a grant amount up to 800,000 euros – will enable Nivette to develop an innovative research line and set up her own research group.

Nivette is receiving the grant for her research project focusing on the legitimacy of the police and how the public's perception of this legitimacy can change as a result of various experiences with the police. Nivette: 'I want to find out whether people’s view of the police can change in the event they have one-time contact with the police. I also wonder about how social media affects trust in the police. For instance: can a tweet damage that trust? And might this influence a person's criminal behaviour?' Through her research project, Nivette is also introducing a new method for quantifying not only contact with the police but the impact of those experiences on individual opinion and criminal behaviour.

503 applied, 81 selected
Vidi grants are intended for excellent researchers who have successfully conducted research for several years following conferral of their doctorate. The scientists who are considered for this funding are among the top 10 to 20 per cent in their respective fields. Besides Nivette, 502 other researchers applied for the funding. NWO selected 81 of them. In this round, Utrecht University as a whole gained ten Vidi laureates.