Majority of Americans favor death penalty, but nearly eight-in-ten see ‘some risk’ of executing the innocent

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June 2, 2021

Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty Despite Concerns About Its Administration

Majority of Americans favor death penalty, but nearly eight-in-ten see ‘some risk’ of executing the innocent

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Majority of Americans favor death penalty, but nearly eight-in-ten see ‘some risk’ of executing the innocent

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Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty Despite Concerns About Its Administration
Since 2019, modest changes in views of the death penalty
Greater support for death penalty in online panel surveys than telephone surveys
Partisan differences in views of the death penalty – especially on racial disparities in sentencing
Ideological divides in views of the death penalty, particularly among Democrats
Non-college White, Black and Hispanic adults more supportive of death penalty
Partisan gap in views of death penalty is widest among adults 65 and older
Overwhelming majority of Black adults see racial disparities in death penalty sentencing, as do a smaller majority of Hispanic adults; White adults are divided
Support for death penalty is strongly associated with belief that it is morally justified for crimes like murder

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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