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Share Link http://www.gallup.co Share: * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share on LinkedIn Death Penalty Trend: Are You in Favor of the Death Penalty for a Person Convicted of Murder? Trend: Are You in Favor of the Death Penalty for a Person Convicted of Murder? Trend: In your opinion, is the death penalty imposed -- [ROTATED: too often, about the right amount, or not often enough]? Generally speaking, do you believe the death penalty is applied fairly or unfairly in this country today? Trend: Next, I'm going to read you a list of issues. Regardless of whether or not you think it should be legal, for each one, please tell me whether you personally believe that in general it is morally acceptable or morally wrong. How about the death penalty? Trend: Why do you favor the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? [Open-ended] Why do you oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? [Open-ended] Trend: If you could choose between the following two approaches, which do you think is the better penalty for murder -- [ROTATED: the death penalty (or) life imprisonment, with absolutely no possibility of parole]? What form of punishment do you consider to be the most humane - the electric chair, the gas chamber, lethal injection, firing squad, or hanging? Do you feel that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to the commitment of murder, that it lowers the murder rate, or not? Yes, does No, does not No opinion % % % 2011 Oct 6-9 32 64 4 2006 May 8-11 34 64 2 2004 May 2-4 35 62 3 1991 Jun 13-16 51 41 8 1986 Jan 10-13 61 32 7 1985 Jan 11-14 62 31 7 How often do you think that a person has been executed under the death penalty who was, in fact, innocent of the crime he or she was charged with -- do you think this has happened in the past five years, or not? Yes, in past five years No, not No opinion % % % 2009 Oct 1-4 59 31 10 2006 May 8-11 63 27 10 2005 May 2-5 59 33 8 2003 May 5-7 73 22 5 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? [BASED ON ADULTS WHO SAY SOMEONE HAS BEEN EXECUTED UNDER THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS WHO WAS INNOCENT OF THE CRIME] 2005 May 2-5 2003 May 5-7 % % None -- * 1-5% 57 55 6-10% 14 13 11-20% 10 8 21-50% 9 15 More than 50% 2 2 No opinion 8 7 Mean 10.7% 11.7% Median 5% 5% * Less than 0.5% Which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: states should be allowed to execute prisoners sentenced to the death penalty by means of lethal injection, (or) lethal injection of death row prisoners represents cruel and unusual punishment that should not be permitted]? Allowed by means of lethal injection Not permit lethal injection No opinion 2004 Mar 26-28 75% 21 4 Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for -- [RANDOM ORDER]? How about for -- [INSERT NEXT ITEM]? Women Favor Oppose No opinion 2002 May 6-9 68% 29 3 The mentally ill Favor Oppose No opinion 2002 May 6-9 19% 75 6 The mentally retarded Favor Oppose No opinion 2002 May 6-9 13% 82 5 Juveniles Favor Oppose No opinion 2002 May 6-9 26% 69 5 Get Articles in Related Topics: * Crime * Moral Issues * Religion and Social Trends * Social Issues * Trends A to Z Gallup Daily Gallup Good Jobs 45.1% - Engaged at Work 33.3% -0.5 Economic Confidence -5 +2 Consumer Spending $84 -1 Obama Approval 48% +1 Updates daily at 1 p.m.ET; reflects one-day change. [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==] [uwmoz0ioikytes_qrchznw.jpg] Politics The 2016 State of the Union: Considering the Public's Opinion by Lydia Saad, Frank Newport and Jeffrey M. Jones Report Worldwide, Where Do People Feel Safe? Not in Latin America Gallup Global Law and Order 2015 Report Related News In Depth: Topics A to Z Crime Politics Oct 15, 2015 Solid Majority Continue to Support Death Penalty Social Issues May 26, 2015 Americans Continue to Shift Left on Key Moral Issues Social Issues Oct 23, 2014 Americans: "Eye for an Eye" Top Reason for Death Penalty [gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==] [aud9eul7f0soc25vwwyrew.png] Business Journal Jan 12, 2016 Tough Task: Recruiting Top Leaders From Other Companies Most talented leaders don't want to leave their current company. Attracting them requires knowing what matters most to them. Gallup http://www.gallup.com/poll/1606/death-penalty.aspx Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A +1 202.715.3030 Latest News Politics 8 Hours Ago The 2016 State of the Union: Considering the Public’s Opinion Gallup analyzes the public opinion context surrounding many of the proposals and statements President Barack Obama made in his Tuesday State of the Union address. Politics 22 Hours Ago Americans’ Dissatisfaction With U.S. Gun Laws at New High Americans' dissatisfaction with the nation's gun laws climbed to 62% in 2016, a record high in Gallup's trend. Dissatisfaction with policies to reduce or control crime is also at a new high. Analytics and Advice About Everything That Matters Politics Jan 14, 2016 Government, Economy Return as “Most Important” U.S. Problems The government and the economy again top the list of the "most important problem" in the U.S. in January. Mentions of terrorism, which led in December, fell significantly in January. Politics Jan 13, 2016 U.S. Split on Whether Obama, GOP Congress Should Set Course Americans are mostly divided as to whether they want the Republicans in Congress (46%) or President Obama (42%) to have more influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year. This is similar to most readings since 2010. Employee Engagement Jan 13, 2016 Employee Engagement in U.S. Stagnant in 2015 Although steady, U.S. employee engagement levels remained low in 2015. An average of 32% of workers were engaged in their jobs this past year, compared with 31.5% in 2014. Employee engagement levels largely have not moved since 2000. Politics Jan 12, 2016 As Obama Delivers SOTU, 23% Satisfied With Direction of U.S. As Obama prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address, 23% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the U.S. This is lower than most figures recorded in 2015, but it matches the average for Obama's time in office. Economy Jan 12, 2016 U.S. Economic Confidence Index Steady at -12 Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index averaged -12 for the first full week of the new year. This is consistent with recent averages and within the range Gallup has measured since September. Politics Jan 11, 2016 Conservatives Hang On to Ideology Lead by a Thread Americans' political ideology was essentially stable in the past year, with conservatives retaining the barest of advantages over moderates in Americans' self-identified political views. Liberals remained at a record-high 24%. Politics Jan 11, 2016 Democratic, Republican Identification Near Historical Lows Independents (42%) continue to greatly outnumber self-identified Democrats (29%) and Republicans (26%) in the U.S. The percentage of Democrats is at a historical low, while Republican identification is slightly above its recent low. Well-Being Jan 8, 2016 TV Hits New Low as Favorite Way in U.S. to Spend Evening Once their top choice, a record-low 16% of Americans now name television as their favorite evening pastime. Thirty-four percent currently name "staying home" as their first choice. OUR COMPANY * About Gallup * Methodology Center * George Gallup * Careers at Gallup * Senior Scientists and Advisers * Global Offices * Media & Speaker Inquiries * Trends A-Z INQUIRIES * Questions, comments and observations * Questions about your Gallup.com account * Have a Gallup expert contact you * Request a Gallup expert for a speaking engagement FOLLOW US * Twitter * Facebook * LinkedIn * YouTube Copyright © 2016 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. * Privacy Statement * Terms of Use Copyright © 2016 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. 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