55 Percent Favor Death Penalty for Convicted Murderers

Fifty-five percent of Americans favor the death penalty for convicted murderers. Gallup reports that’s the lowest level of support since 1972.^[1] Forty-one percent of Americans oppose the death penalty.

Support for capital punishment peaked during the 1990s at 80 percent.

Gallup has been asking the same question since 1936 and only once found more opposition than support. In 1966, 47 percent opposed the death penalty and only 42 percent supported it.

Ballotpedia covers state policies and ballot measures related to the death penalty. Find out which states allow the death penalty here. Learn more about historical ballot measures regarding the use of the death penalty here.

Footnotes:

1. Gallup, "U.S. Death Penalty Support Lowest Since 1972," October 26, 2017

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.