A new Rasmussen poll found that 57% of American adults support the death penalty, down from 63% in the organization’s polls dating from 2009. The poll found 26% of respondents opposed the death penalty, with 17% undecided. Respondents were also asked whether they favored the death penalty for James Holmes if he is convicted of the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Just 55% said they believed Holmes should be sentenced to death, compared to 66% who held that view immediately after the shooting in 2012. Twenty percent were undecided. Rasmussen found that Americans were less supportive of executing a defendant who is mentally ill, an issue in Holmes’s case. Respondents also had concerns about wrongful convictions, and were split on whether the death penalty deterred crime.

(“Americans Are Still Pro-Death Penalty,” Rasmussen Reports, February 6, 2015; “Most Still Favor Death Sentence for Colorado Theater Shooter,” Rasmussen Reports, February 5, 2015). See Public Opinion and Mental Illness.

Citation Guide