Americans' Attitudes About the Ultimate Weapon: Capital Punishment (From Americans View Crime and Justice: A National Public Opinion Survey, P 93-108, 1996, Timothy J. Flanagan and Dennis R. Longmire, eds. -- See NCJ-179550)

• NCJ Number: 179553
• Author(s): Dennis R. Longmire
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study reports on and analyzes the public's response to the nine questions about the death penalty that were asked in the 1995 National Opinion Survey on Crime and Justice (NOSCJ).

Abstract

The design used for these nine questions aimed to expand the data of those studies that have focused on the general public's attitudes about the death penalty. It updates the knowledge provided by Bohm (1991) about the level of support and opposition to the death penalty among U.S. citizens; however, the current study also attempts to better understand the consistency of people's attitudes about the death penalty by asking follow-up questions aimed at measuring the constancy of people's original positions. Since the late 1970's, Americans have become increasingly more supportive of the death penalty. The NOSCJ data show general support for such a trend, with one major variation. According to the most recent data, Americans are becoming more uncertain about the death penalty. When asked whether they support the death penalty in the case of murder, 10 percent of the respondents were neutral on this issue. This is a significant change in the previous trends, which have shown increased levels of support for the death penalty and decreased levels of both opposition and uncertainty about the use of capital punishment. The analysis also confirms previous patterns of association between demographic and sociopolitical variables and death penalty attitudes. Gender, race/ethnicity, educational level, political ideology, political party affiliation, and type of community are associated with death penalty attitudes. Those most likely to support the death penalty are white males with less than a college degree but at least a high school diploma. Supporters identify themselves as political conservatives who identify with the Republican Party and reside outside of urban areas. Death penalty opponents are more likely to be female, African-American, politically liberal, either Democrats or independents, and residents of urban areas. The author advises that death penalty attitudes are complex and need to be studied through more complex designs than those used in most of the simple, single-question public opinion polls. 2 tables and 2 figures