Facts & Research
Public Opinion
Public opinion polls show that support for the death penalty is currently near historic lows after peaking in 1994 and declining over the last 25 years.
DPIC Report: Smart on Crime
Reconsidering the Death Penalty in Time of Economic Crisis
Overview
In a democracy, the substance of the laws is determined by the people. Even the constitution can be changed through the democratic process. Public sentiment can be measured through polling, but it is also reflected in elections and referenda, both on a local and national level.
There is a long history of polls of asking the public whether they favor or oppose the death penalty for the crime of murder. The resultant responses might reflect the public’s philosophical or moral stance on the issue, but they do not measure opinion about the death penalty as it is actually practiced, which requires such information as the availability of alternative sentences, the risks of mistake and bias, and the costs associated with the practice.
At Issue
The death penalty is sometimes justified because the majority of poll respondents supports it in the abstract. The Supreme Court, in attempting to determine whether a punishment is cruel and unusual, asks whether the punishment comports with society’s “evolving standards of decency.” The Court has been reluctant to rely on opinion polls to measure these standards because poll results can vary widely depending on the polling firm and the specific wording of the questions asked. Instead, the Court has looked to the actions of state legislatures and the decisions of juries, prosecutors and governors, as reflecting public will. The myriad of disturbing facts about the death penalty has led to a sharp decline in its use and even to a lowering of support in the abstract poll question. Ultimately, the future of the death penalty will depend on whether it is retaining public support.
What DPIC Offers
DPIC has highlighted the results of many polls on the death penalty over many years, both on a national and state level. Some of these polls go into greater depth than those just asking the abstract question of support or opposition. DPIC has also commissioned its own polls, including surveys of those in law enforcement, and has issued reports on the results.
Nov 25, 2019
Gallup Poll — For First Time, Majority of Americans Prefer Life Sentence To Capital Punishment
For the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1985, a majority of Americans now say life imprisonment is a better approach for punishing murder than is the death penalty. According to the 2019 Gallup death-penalty p…
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Dec 14, 2020
New Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón Implements Sweeping Changes in Death Penalty Policy
Just hours after taking office, newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón issued a series of sweeping changes that ended new death-penalty prosecutions and moved towards reconsidering existing deat…
Nov 24, 2020
Gallup Poll: Public Support for the Death Penalty Lowest in a Half-Century
Public support for the death penalty is at its lowest level in a half-century, with opposition higher than any time since 1966, according to the 2020 annual Gallup poll on Americans’ attitudes about capital punishment. Fifty-five percent o…
Nov 04, 2020
Local Prosecutor Elections Foreshadow Continued Movement Away From Death Penalty
Reform prosecutors made further inroads in the American legal system in the November 2020 general election, unseating prosecutors in several of the most prolific death-sentencing counties in the United States and capturing open seats in major Texa…
Oct 27, 2020
In Partisan Vote, Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Replacement on U.S. Supreme Court
Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, filling the vacancy created by the death of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Shortly after her confirmation by the …
Oct 09, 2020
Senate Confirmation Hearings Set to Begin for Amy Coney Barrett to Fill Supreme Court Seat Left Vacant by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death
The U.S. Senate is preparing to move forward on October 12, 2020 with confirmation hearings on the controversial nomination of conservative federal appeals judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Ru…
Sep 03, 2020
DPIC Analysis: Federal Execution Spree Out of Step with U.S. Death Penalty Trends and Attitudes
At a time in which the United States as a whole and individual states and counties have continued their long-term movement away from the death penalty, the federal government’s current execution spree has established it as an outlier jurisdiction …
Aug 05, 2020
Reform Prosecutor Kimberly Gardner Wins St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Primary Election
In a primary election that was regarded by many as a referendum on reform prosecutors, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner (pictured) beat back a challenge by the circuit’s former chief homicide prose…
Jul 02, 2020
DPIC 2020 MID-YEAR REVIEW: Pandemic and Continuing Historic Decline Produce Record-Low Death Penalty Use
New death sentences and executions were at historic lows in the first half of 2020, the Death Penalty Information Center reported in its
Jun 24, 2020
Gallup Poll: Record-Low Percentage of Americans Now Find Death Penalty Morally Acceptable
The percentage of Americans who consider the death penalty to be morally acceptable has fallen to a record-low, a new national poll by the Gallup organization has found. According to the 2020 Gallup Values and Beliefs poll, released on Jun…
May 26, 2020
Poll Finds Record-Low Support for Death Penalty Among Houstonians
Just 20% of Houstonians — a record low — now support the death penalty over life-sentencing alternatives, a new Rice University survey has found. The 2020 Houston Area Survey by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, released on May 4, 2020, fou…
