A series of pub­lic opin­ion polls reveals that only about a third of Americans sup­port the death penal­ty as applied to those who are under the age of 18 at the time of their crime. Recent sur­vey results include the following: 

A fall 2001 National Opinion Research Center poll found that while 62% of respon­dents favored the death penal­ty in gen­er­al, only 34% sup­port­ed the exe­cu­tion of juve­nile offend­ers. In a series of fol­low-up ques­tions that fur­ther probed respon­dents about their posi­tions, it was deter­mined that the oppo­si­tion to the juve­nile death penal­ty is firmer (89.5% of respon­dents did not change their posi­tion) than sup­port for the death penal­ty gen­er­al­ly (67% unchanged after fol­low-up ques­tions). A sim­i­lar 2001 poll con­duct­ed by Princeton Survey Research Associates revealed that while 72% of those polled sup­port­ed the death penal­ty, only 38% sup­port­ed it when applied to ​“juve­niles younger than 18.” A May 2002 Gallup poll found 72% sup­port for cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in gen­er­al, but that sup­port dropped to 26% for juve­niles con­vict­ed of mur­der, 19% for the men­tal­ly ill, and 13% for the mentally retarded. 
(Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey, National Opinion Research Center, Chicago Tribune, December 7, 2003) See Public Opinion, Juveniles.
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