Death-row believers

Americans’ support for the death penalty remains just above 60 percent, according to a December 2012 Gallup poll. The survey was first posed in 1936, when 59 percent said yes to the question: “Are you in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder?” In 1994, some 80 percent said they supported the death penalty. The number dropped to about two-thirds in 2001, where it has hovered ever since. Breakdowns show that liberals (47 percent) and Democrats (51 percent) are less supportive than those who describe themselves as conservative (75 percent) and Republican (80 percent). Men (67 percent) are more supportive than women (59 percent), gun owners (80 percent) show more support than non-gun owners (55 percent), and people between the ages of 18 and 34 (50 percent) are less supportive than those 55 and older (67 percent).