|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
In U.S., Support for Death Penalty Falls to 39-Year Low
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Oct 13, 2011 03:37pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Poll |
| Author | Frank Newport |
| News Date | Thursday, October 13, 2011 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Sixty-one percent of Americans approve of using the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, down from 64% last year. This is the lowest level of support since 1972, the year the Supreme Court voided all existing state death penalty laws in Furman v. Georgia.
Gallup first asked about use of the death penalty in murder cases in 1936. At that time, 59% of Americans supported it and 38% opposed it. Americans' views on the death penalty have varied significantly over the 75 years since, including a period from the late 1950s to the early 1970s when less than a majority of Americans favored it. Support climbed to its highest levels from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, including the all-time high of 80% who favored the death penalty in 1994. Since then, support has gradually declined; this year's measure of 61% marks a 19-percentage-point drop over the past 17 years, and a 3-point drop from last year's measure. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
