Death Penalty Support still Strong among Americans

Gallup released a poll today that is a disappointment to all those who have a concern for human rights. With a margin of error of about 3 percent, the poll reports that nearly two-thirds of the population support the death penalty. Even more depressing, a large majority of those who support the death penalty think it is not administered often enough. These numbers are consistent with the results of other polls taken by Gallup since 2001.

Looking more deeply into the poll, there is still little cause for hopefulness. The death penalty is favored overwhelmingly by Republicans, but a majority of both Democrats and Independents also support its use. Over half the people believe that the death penalty is administered fairly in this country, despite the abundance of evidence that race is a major factor in the use of the sentence.

If there is a silver lining for those who oppose the death penalty, is that only a third of the respondents believe that the death penalty is a deterrent. Evidence clearly shows that it is not a deterrent. Perhaps as more people come to understand this fact, we will begin to see an erosion of support for the death penalty in the U.S.