Support for the Death Penalty Remains High at 74%

The poll, conducted May 5-7, finds 74% of Americans in favor of and 24% opposed to the "death penalty for a person convicted of murder." Gallup has asked this basic death-penalty-support question since the 1930s. Support has been above 70% over the last two years, after having been in the mid-to-high 60% range in 2000-2001. The current number is the highest support level Gallup has obtained on this measure since May 1995, when 77% supported the death penalty. The highest support level was 80% in 1994, and the lowest was 42% in 1966.

When asked to indicate which is the appropriate punishment for murder -- the death penalty or "life imprisonment, with absolutely no possibility of parole"-- a slim majority, 53%, opts for the former, while 44% choose the life imprisonment option. These numbers have changed very little in past years, with about half of Americans, or slightly more, saying the death penalty is the appropriate punishment. An August 1997 poll found 61% of Americans favoring the death penalty and only 29% favoring life imprisonment.

Death Penalty or Life Imprisonment for Convicted Murderers?

Americans' views on the appropriate punishment for murder are greatly influenced by their political orientation. Among ideological conservatives, 62% favor the death penalty and 36% life imprisonment. Among ideological liberals, it is nearly the reverse, with 37% favoring the death penalty and 60% life imprisonment. Moderates show a slight preference for the death penalty, by a 52% to 46% margin. Republicans are much more likely to prefer the death penalty than are independents or Democrats.

Perceptions about the death penalty also vary by educational attainment. By a 62% to 37% margin, postgraduates show a definite preference for life imprisonment. College graduates with no postgraduate education are essentially evenly divided, with 48% favoring the death penalty and 50% favoring life imprisonment. Those with some college (57% to 41%) and those with high school educations or less (56% to 40%) show a preference for the death penalty.

Increasing Percentage Says Death Penalty Applied Fairly in United States

In the last couple of years, there has been a growing belief that the death penalty is applied fairly in this country, despite news reports that some individuals were incorrectly given death sentences. Sixty percent now say the death penalty is applied fairly, while 37% disagree. In 2000, 51% said it was applied fairly, and 41% said it was not. During that year, Illinois became the first state to institute a moratorium on the death penalty, and the use of the death penalty in Texas under then-Governor George W. Bush was a major issue in the 2000 presidential election campaign.

Is the Death Penalty Applied Fairly?

It is unclear why the view that the death penalty is applied fairly has become more widespread. While the death penalty controversy always seems to bubble up in the news periodically, it is not as prominent an issue as it was during the year 2000 or around the 2001 execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Perhaps a reduced general news focus on the death penalty has caused more Americans to come to believe the system is working. Alternatively, the recent attention to mistakes may have caused Americans to believe that legal and public officials are now exercising more care in death penalty cases.

General support for the death penalty is also evident in the finding that nearly half of Americans, 48%, say the death penalty is not imposed often enough in this country. Twenty-six percent say it is imposed "about the right amount" of time, and 23% believe it is used too often. The latest figures are in line with last year's, though the percentage saying the death penalty is not imposed enough has risen from 38% in 2001.

A majority of conservatives, 54%, say the death penalty is not imposed often enough, while 28% say it is used the right amount of time and only 17% say it is used too often. This is in stark contrast to the opinions of liberals, who are more divided in their views. In fact, a plurality (35%) of liberals say the death penalty is imposed too often, 26% say the right amount of time, and 33% say it is not imposed enough. Again, the opinions of Republicans are similar to those of conservatives, and the opinions of Democrats are generally similar to those of liberals -- although more Democrats say the death penalty is not imposed often enough (40%) than say it is imposed too often (36%).

Most Believe Innocent People Have Been Executed

In recent years, there has been much controversy over the death penalty, including the imposition of moratoriums on executions in Illinois and Maryland. The debate has been fueled in part by the finding of new evidence that has exonerated some death-row prisoners of the crimes for which they received the death sentence. But Americans are aware of the risks involved in applying the death penalty: 73% of Americans believe an innocent person has been executed under the death penalty in the last five years. Most who say an innocent person has been executed believe this is very rare, as more than half think this happens no more than 5% of the time. The combined results of these two questions show 62% of all Americans believe this has happened no more than 5% of the time or not at all. About one in eight Americans believe that more than 20% of executions involve persons innocent of the crimes for which they were executed.

Just your best guess, about what percent of people who are executed under the death penalty are really innocent of the crime they were charged with?

Liberals (84%) and Democrats (79%) are more likely than conservatives (64%) and Republicans (63%) to believe innocent people have been executed in the last five years. Democrats who believe innocent people have been executed tend to give higher estimates of the percentage who met this fate than do Republicans. Liberals and conservatives, however, give similar estimates.

Two in three Americans who favor the death penalty for murder believe that innocent people have been executed in the last five years. However, death penalty opponents (85%) are more likely to believe that innocent people have been put to death.

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,005 adults, 18 years and older, conducted May 5-7, 2003. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.