WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-nine percent of U.S. adults are in favor of the death penalty for convicted murderers, and 45% are opposed. While statistically similar to last year’s 52%, the latest update marks the first time support has been below the majority level since 1971, when it was also at 49%. The last time support was lower than now was in 1966, when a record-low 42% favored the death penalty. The high point for support was 80% in 1994.
The latest findings are from an Oct. 1-19 Gallup poll, which began the day after the failed execution attempt of Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike. Tennessee’s governor has since paused executions in that state pending an investigation.
Gallup first measured Americans’ opinions about the death penalty in 1936. At that time, 59% were in favor and 38% opposed. In most readings over the past 90 years, majorities have been in favor of executing convicted murderers.
Most of the exceptions occurred between 1965 and 1971, when a series of legal challenges to state death penalty statutes worked their way through the courts. That effort culminated with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1972 that all state death penalty laws were unconstitutional as currently written.
States subsequently rewrote their death penalty laws to address the Supreme Court’s constitutionality concerns, and executions resumed in 1977. By that time, public support for the death penalty had increased to 66% and remained at 60% or higher for the next 40 years, until dipping to 55% in 2017.
Over the past 10 years, the percentage in favor of the death penalty has held in the mid-to-low 50% range, before dipping to 49% this year.
Support for Death Penalty Has Fallen Most Among Democrats
All political party groups are less likely to favor the death penalty now than they were in the 1990s and 2000s, but Democrats show the largest decline.
Today, 28% of Democrats are in favor of the death penalty, a decline of 28 percentage points from 2000 and 47 points from their 1994 record high.
Among independents, the change has been smaller, including drops of 18 points since 2000 and 29 points since 1994, to 50% today.
Republicans’ opinions of the death penalty have been more stable over time, although the 73% in favor this year is one of the lowest Gallup has measured for the group. Typically, Republican support has been around 80% since the 1990s.
The differential changes between Democrats and Republicans have led to an expanded party gap in death penalty support — 45 points today, similar to the 43% average over the past 10 years. Between 1990 and 2015, the parties differed by 25 points, on average.
Younger Adults Less Likely to Favor the Death Penalty
Majorities of older Americans, those aged 50 and older, continue to favor the death penalty, while less than half of younger adults do, including 39% of those under age 30.
In 2000, support was significantly higher among all age groups, including 61% of 18- to 29-year-olds, 67% of those aged 30 to 49, and 71% of those aged 50 and older.
As Gallup showed in a 2024 analysis, age differences are apparent in all party groups — younger Democrats, independents and Republicans are less likely than older adults who share the same party identification to support the death penalty.
The analysis also showed that over time, today’s older Democrats and older independents have become less supportive of the death penalty than when they were younger at the turn of the century. In contrast, today’s older Republicans’ support has remained stable compared with when they were younger.
Implications
Americans’ support for the death penalty has declined significantly over the past three decades, led by declines among Democrats and younger generations of U.S. adults. Now, less than a majority of U.S. adults are in favor of it, which has not been the case in over 50 years. Support for capital punishment may decline further if trends among younger generations continue.
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Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
