Death penalty support ticks sup alter years of decline support % who the death penalty for persons convicted of murder
Over the past two decades, public support for capital punishment has declined substantially in the U.S., as have death sentences and executions. But in the Center’s most recent survey on the death penalty – conducted this past April and May – support was up slightly: A narrow majority of Americans (54%) said they favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder, up from 49% in 2016. Partisans were sharply divided: Around three-quarters of Republicans (77%) supported the death penalty for those convicted of murder, while a majority of Democrats (59%) opposed it. Independents were more inclined to support the death penalty than oppose it (52% versus 40%).
Death penalty support ticks sup alter  | years of decline support  | % who  | the death penalty for persons convicted of  | murder  | 8  | Favor  | 39  | 18  | Oppose  | 1996  | 2007  | 2018  | Note: Don 'tknow responses notshown.  | Source Survev ofu.s adults conducted April25-May 1, 2018.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 