A majority of Americans continue to support the death penalty for persons of convicted of murder, but that support is at the lowest it has been for the past 20 years, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times Poll.
Currently, 60 % of Americans favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, while 27 % are opposed. This percentage is down slightly from when it was last asked in May of last year, and down 18 percentage points from when the question was first asked by CBS in October 1988, at the height of a presidential campaign in which Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis was being buffeted by charges of being soft on crime during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts.
When comparing views on the death penalty between now and approximately 20 years ago, while Republicans continue to show strong support for the death penalty, a marked decline can be seen among both Democrats and independents.
For results of poll, see: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20111657-503544.html
Source: CBS News, Sept. 26, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment