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March 23, 2018
Interesting (and important?) new polling data on the death penalty
Yesterday the results of a new Quinnipiac University Poll were released here, and the press release about the results start with this account of the results of questions about the death penalty (with my emphasis added):
In a simple question, American voters support the death penalty 58 - 33 percent for persons convicted of murder, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today.
But when offered a choice between the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole, American voters choose the life option 51 - 37 percent, the first time a majority of voters backed the life without parole option since the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll first asked this question in 2004.
There are deep party and gender divisions as Republicans back the death penalty 59 - 29 percent. Backing the life option are Democrats 73 - 19 percent and independent voters 49 - 37 percent. Women back the life option 56 - 33 percent. Men are divided as 45 percent back the life option and 42 percent support the death penalty. American voters are more united as they oppose 71 - 21 percent, including 57 - 35 percent opposition among Republicans, imposing the death penalty for persons convicted of selling drugs that cause a lethal overdose. Voters say 75 - 20 percent that this use of the death penalty would not help stop the opioid crisis.
But voters say 64 - 31 percent that the death penalty should not be abolished nationwide. Democrats are divided as 47 percent say abolish the death penalty and 46 percent say don't abolish it. Every other listed party, gender, education, age and racial group is opposed to abolishing the death penalty.
"It's a mixed message on a question that has moral and religious implications. Voters are perhaps saying, 'Keep the death penalty, but just don't use it," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Despite what President Donald Trump says, neither Democrats nor Republicans have the stomach for executing drug dealers," Malloy added.
The "mixed message" take away is obviously the right one, and it also means that both supporters and opponents of the death penalty can spin these results in any number of ways. But the result that only half of self-identified Democrats call for abolishing the death penalty strikes me as perhaps the most critical single finding and one that likely entails that the death penalty will not be abolished legislatively even in blue states in near future.
March 23, 2018 at 11:56 AM | Permalink
Comments
Looks like those Right on Crime Republicans, preaching limited govt and respect for life, still like the show of force in an execution, regardless of how questionable the method.
Posted by: Paul | Mar 23, 2018 1:45:43 PM
"entails that the death penalty will not be abolished legislatively even in blue states in near future"
Other than CA (which barely passed a measure that somewhat streamlined the appeals process & has a significant death row population so not surprised they don't want to TOTALLY abolish it), and even there, what blue states actually execute anyone these days & still has the death penalty? https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/sep/21/death-penalty-statistics-us
The raw numbers aren't that helpful in this regard since we also need to break down the numbers by state. If some state has only a few people on death row and executed single digits in the last few decades, they might very well end the death penalty especially if some controversy arises because of a wrongful or botched case.
I'm not surprised in the least by the breakdown here -- Obama, e.g., supports the death penalty for a few crimes. Like other things, people can always find a personal case, at least in theory, where an absolute abolition comes off as wrong. We are talking national numbers here, after all, including in more conservative areas.
As with other bad things, completely ending it is an ideal, but the best thing to push for immediately (likely to pass) is addressing various problems.
Posted by: Joe | Mar 23, 2018 2:28:59 PM
You are right, Joe, that other than the bluest state (CA), there is no real ACTIVE death penalty in any deep blue state. That said, PA is "bluish" and it has well over 150 on death row. And "sometimes blue" states like Florida and Virginia have pretty active capital histories.
Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 23, 2018 4:21:48 PM
The state level analysis does not really work here as certain counties contribute disproportionately to death row and the pool of condemned. It's not the 'blue' parts of California, Virginia or Florida that are responsible for the condemned the state may eventually execute.
Posted by: Paul | Mar 23, 2018 4:55:06 PM
The point about death penalty friendly districts is noted -- it's a question of subdividing then at the right level.
The sizable death row population (though only three were actually executed post-Gregg, all in a brief span in the late 1990s & w/o checking Wikipedia, all apparently "volunteers") of PA is noted too. Nonetheless, in 2015, the governor declared a moratorium. I guess it being a "Trump State" (if narrowly) this might change.
I wasn't thinking of "sometime blue" states but VA and FL is in the death belt, yes.
Posted by: Joe | Mar 23, 2018 6:46:52 PM
The point about death penalty friendly districts is noted -- it's a question of subdividing then at the right level.
The sizable death row population (though only three were actually executed post-Gregg, all in a brief span in the late 1990s & w/o checking Wikipedia, all apparently "volunteers") of PA is noted too. Nonetheless, in 2015, the governor declared a moratorium. I guess it being a "Trump State" (if narrowly) this might change.
I wasn't thinking of "sometime blue" states but VA and FL is in the death belt, yes.
Posted by: Joe | Mar 23, 2018 6:46:53 PM
Legislators represent public opinion. They must begin to impeach appellate court judges for stymying the public consensus. The impeachments should be immediate, fast tracked, and numerous. To deter.
These judges are nothing more than thieves of taxpayer money. They are criminals themselves.
Posted by: David Behar | Mar 24, 2018 7:03:57 AM
The survey is a blunt instrument lumping all murders together.
I suspect a subtler instrument would reveal that most people would not want the death penalty for all murderers, but would reserve it for those especially heinous murders as most states already do to some degree.
A survey asking if mass school murderers should be executed would likely score very high support, as would a question about whether terrorist attacks resulting in many deaths or a number of other situations.
Posted by: rsteinmetz | Mar 29, 2018 12:57:54 PM
