NCJ Number
45182
Journal
JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS Volume: 6 Issue: 1-2 Dated: (SUMMER/ WINTER 1977) Pages: 189-216
Date Published
1977
Length
28 pages
Annotation
THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATTITUDINAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS TO SUPPORT FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AMONG 3,334 ADULTS IS EXAMINED IN A MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS.
Abstract
THE DATA FOR THE ANALYSIS WERE GATHERED IN 1973-74 FROM A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE OF RESIDENTS IN CHESAPEAKE, NORFOLK, PORTSMOUTH, AND VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. MAJOR VARIABLES CONSIDERED INCLUDE DOGMATISM, SUPPORT FOR FUNDAMENTAL CIVIL LIBERTIES, UTILITARIAN SENTIMENTS WITH REGARD TO PUNISHMENT, RETRIBUTIVE SENTIMENTS, AND SUPPORT FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. THE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT A RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTION OF THE VARIANCE IN ATTITUDES TOWARD CAPITAL PUNISHMENT CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THE VARIABLES CONSIDERED. UTILITARIAN AND RETRIBUTIVE SENTIMENTS (INDICATORS OF SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES) WERE MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN DOGMATISM AND ATTITUDES TOWARD CIVIL LIBERTIES. NEARLY 80 PERCENT OF THE EXPLAINED VARIANCE IN SUPPORT OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE MEASURE OF PERCEIVED UTILITY OF PUNISHMENT ALONE. IMPLICATIONS ARE NOTED. A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, TABULAR DATA, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.