---
title: 'NEW RESOURCE: Researchers Find Prejudice Shapes Support for Death Penalty'
description: 'In “Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty?,” American University researchers Joe Soss, Laura Langbein, and Alan Metelko examined whether racial…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resource-researchers-find-prejudice-shapes-support-for-death-penalty'
section: news
date: '2003-08-07T22:33:37-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:23:15-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

In "Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty?," American University researchers Joe Soss, Laura Langbein, and Alan Metelko examined whether racial attitudes play a role in white support for the death penalty. The researchers found that white support for the death penalty in the United States has strong ties to anti-black prejudice, and in some geographic areas racial prejudice emerges as the strongest predictor of white death penalty support. Soss, Joe, et al.: "Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty? "; 65 The Journal of Politics 397 (2003). See [Race](/race-and-death-penalty?did=105&scid=5) and [Resources](/getcat.php?cid=5).