Death Penalty Approval Drops to Lowest Level since 1972

[Frodo]

Basically a return to historic norms:

Poll: Death penalty approval drops

By JOSE DELREAL | 10/29/13 4:40 PM EDT

The death penalty for convicted murderers is at its lowest approval rating since 1972, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The Gallup poll shows that while the majority of American still support the death penalty, the new 60 percent approval rating is the lowest in more than four decades.



Support for the death penalty reached as high as 80 percent in the mid-1990s but has declined since the early 2000s. The drop in support over the last decade may be related to several cases in which death-row inmates were proven to have been wrongfully convicted.

Six of the 18 states that ban the death penalty have instituted those bans since 2006.

Democrats and Republicans are sharply split on the issue, with only 47 percent of Democrats supporting the death penalty while 81 percent of Republicans are in favor. The majority of independents support the death penalty with a 60 percent approval.

The poll of 1,028 adults was conducted Oct. 3 to Oct. 6 and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/poll-death-penalty-approval-drops-99050.html#ixzz2jAJX5sEj

[Vosem]

Unfortunate, but consistent with the broader trend towards libertarianism.

[barfbag]

Most people will always support the death penalty. 60% seems somewhat low, but it will be a while before it ever gets below 50%. I'm against the death penalty.

[jaichind]

Seems to me this is a function of the crime rate which peaked in the late 1980s early 1990s.

[RogueBeaver]

It'll fluctuate over time, but don't see the issue heating up anytime soon. Some blue states will formally abolish, seems about it to me.

[TJ in Oregon]

Yay! Finally one issue is polling in the good direction.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Good.

[publicunofficial]

Yay! Finally one issue is polling in the good direction.

Besides gay marriage, marijuana legalization, and Democratic approval ratings?

[Kung Fu Kenny]

Hooray!

[Holmes]

Unfortunate

It's at 60%. What do you want, 100% support?

[ElectionsGuy]

That's good I guess, but I don't think its really a critical issue at all.

[TNF]

Probably has something to do with the shrinking white population and the general lack of trust in government.

[afleitch]

Yay! Finally one issue is polling in the good direction.

Besides gay marriage, marijuana legalization, and Democratic approval ratings?

Psst! Gays, weed and Democrats blow his white rice and plain chicken sensibiltiies.

[Link]

Seems to me this is a function of the crime rate which peaked in the late 1980s early 1990s.

Lol.

Probably has something to do with the shrinking white population and the general lack of trust in government.

DNA.  That simple.  Now someone can come in and definitively say the retarded black guy you guys murdered was 100% innocent.  Some white people have a conscious about state sponsored murder.

The Innocence Project was founded in 1992.  That was right about the peak of the murdering innocent people crazy.  Seems like the Innocence Project has been doing a good job.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Seems to me this is a function of the crime rate which peaked in the late 1980s early 1990s.

Lol.

Probably has something to do with the shrinking white population and the general lack of trust in government.

DNA.  That simple.  Now someone can come in and definitively say the retarded black guy you guys murdered was 100% innocent.  Some white people have a conscious about state sponsored murder.

The Innocence Project was founded in 1992.  That was right about the peak of the murdering innocent people crazy.  Seems like the Innocence Project has been doing a good job.

I support the Innoncence Project and any other DNA testing that can be done before an execution takes place.  (capital punisment supporter)

[Link]

I support the Innoncence Project and any other DNA testing that can be done before an execution takes place.  (capital punisment supporter)

Well I don't support the death penalty because nothing the government does is perfect and I couldn't imagine being snatched off the street by the government and then killed for no reason.

But yes if it was perfect I don't see anything wrong with it... except the expense.  I mean if someone spends 10 years raping little boys I really don't see a place for them on this planet.

[Person Man]

Death Penalty support is about half way to looking like general support for abortion and pretty much already there if you go by last year's exit polls. This means that this could be a good issue in the future. Perhaps to the point where we start talking about expanding limits on the death penalty the same way people now talk about expanding limits on abortion.

[Cassius]

Hopefully this is not a downward trend. Someone needs to stand up for civilised behaviour, and if Western European nations are too incapable of doing it then it may as well be the U.S.

[Beet]

Unfortunately I had the unwelcome surprise the other day to read that violent crime has increased for two years in a row. This is a surprise because I did not hear about the increase last year. The increase was quite significant too; it appears as if all the gains from 2008-2011 have been wiped out.

[Maxwell]

This is great news, but I fear some horrific event that, is probably bound to happen, will shoot death penalty approval right back up.

[Peeperkorn]

Unfortunate

It's at 60%. What do you want, 100% support?

+1

I will never understand this "American" love for death penalty, a non-issue in the rest of the civilized world since a hundred years.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Unfortunate

It's at 60%. What do you want, 100% support?

+1

I will never understand this "American" love for death penalty, a non-issue in the rest of the civilized world since a hundred years.

"A hundred years" is stretching it quite a bit.

Japan still has the death penalty and France last executed someone back in 1977. Many Western European countries ceased to use it in the wake of WWII (40s/50s), and most Eastern European countries following the fall of communism (90s).

[courts]

Probably has something to do with the shrinking white population and the general lack of trust in government.

also the la riots and early/mid 90s crime wave have begun to fade out of memory.

Unfortunate

It's at 60%. What do you want, 100% support?

+1

I will never understand this "American" love for death penalty, a non-issue in the rest of the civilized world since a hundred years.

countries like singapore, japan and south korea aren't civilized?

[Peeperkorn]

Probably has something to do with the shrinking white population and the general lack of trust in government.

also the la riots and early/mid 90s crime wave have begun to fade out of memory.

Unfortunate

It's at 60%. What do you want, 100% support?

+1

I will never understand this "American" love for death penalty, a non-issue in the rest of the civilized world since a hundred years.

countries like singapore, japan and south korea aren't civilized?

Well, they still have death penalty, for example.

[H. Ross Peron]

Meh, considering how useless and absurd the death penalty is in the US, this is a good thing.