Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Fewer Support the Death Penalty

The 55 percent majority of Americans support the death penalty for a person convicted of murder, according to a recent Gallup Survey. This is the lowest level of support for the death penalty since 1972. The percentage of the public favoring the death penalty peaked at 80 percent in 1994. 

"Demographic trends may lead to further erosion in death penalty support," says Gallup. That's because the fastest-growing segments of the population are the ones least likely to support the death penalty—Gen Z and Millennials, non-whites, and college graduates. Here is the percentage who support the death penalty by generation...

Percent who support the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, 2020
Generation Z: 45%
Millennials: 51%
Generation X: 57%
Baby Boomers: 59%
Older Americans: 62%

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