Do Masks on Law
Enforcement Affect an
Individual's Democratic
Satisfaction?
Sophia Maritato, Ray Eschenbach,
Maxwell Atwood
Slippery Rock University
Student Symposium- April 16, 2026

Background
•Public perception of
federal law
enforcement agents
•Influence citizens’
value of democracy

Context
• Harmful effects of
untransparent,
anonymous
government
• Survey experiment
will richen policing
legitimacy and
democracy research

Research
Question

How does the portrayal of
masked versus unmasked
federal law enforcement
affect democratic
perceptions?

SymbolicInteractionalist Theory
• Focuses on how visual
symbols influence public
perceptions
• Impacted Authority and
Trust

Masked vs. Unmasked

• Masked: shows secrecy,
reduced transparency, and
accountability
• Unmasked: conveys
legitimacy and
responsibility

Theory & Framework

Treatment Group 1

Treatment Group 2

Hypotheses
Individuals exposed to the portrayal of masked federal agents
will, on average, report lower satisfaction in democracy and
place more importance on living in a democracy (on a 1-10
scale) compared to individuals who are exposed to the
unmasked federal agents.
If an individual is exposed to the treatment of an AIgenerated photo of unmasked federal agents, they will give
higher responses than those who are exposed to the AIgenerated photo of masked agents.

Method
Data Collection: Anonymous Qualtrics
Survey, voluntary participation
N=139
Distribution: Shared via social media
(Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook)
Data Analysis: Used JASP for statistical
tests and visualizations

Findings

Implications
&
Conclusions
FAILED TO REJECT
THE NULL HYPOTHESIS

• Depiction of Federal law enforcement
decreased satisfaction in democracy,
regardless of presence of a mask

• An anonymous and untransparent
government can have serious effects
on democracy and the government’s
relationship with the people
• Do we truly live in a democracy if our
government lacks transparency,
accountability, and prioritizes
anonymous federal law enforcement
efforts?