The Impact of Media on the Occupational Image of the Police in Denmark and Germany: A longitudinal research project outline

Context: European Union's economics face significant skill shortages in professional fields essential for their societies' security and welfare. This also accounts for the law enforcement sector (Ernst, 2021b; Politiforbundet, 2023). In Denmark, for example, the number of new police officers is at a record low (Politiforbundet, 2023). At the same time, the German Police proclaims a shortage of officers in all areas of the police force (Tagesschau, 2023). Reasons for shortages of skilled labor are multifaceted. Next to the retirement of older generations from the workforce, one main factor is the unattractive perception of the professional fields (Gaedt, 2021). When tackling skill shortages, it is thus crucial to understand that occupational images play a key role in attracting new generations to careers in law enforcement.

Approach: Current media effects research suggests that mass media have a significant impact on such occupational images (Gehrau et al., 2016; Kinast et al., 2023). Against this backdrop, the joint research project "Streaming for Talents" investigates how fictional and non- fictional media exposure influences the public image of the police in Denmark and Germany. To answer the question, the project conducts a mixed-methods panel study, surveying future police officers in both countries. This is achieved with a quantitative online survey and qualitative focus groups, each following individual professionals over a period of three years. 

Conclusion: Due to its longitudinal design and exclusive research access, the study offers a rare insight into how mass media cultivate occupational images in areas of great importance to the security of EU member states. This article outlines our research methodology and is limited exclusively to the presentation of our theoretical approach.