States of Opinion: Comparing Regional Variation in Support and Knowledge of the Death Penalty

• In Event: Attitudes Toward the Death Penalty

Abstract

The use of capital punishment in the United States appears to be partly driven by public opinion; as legislators, prosecutors, judges, and other elected officials postulate a “get tough on crime” standpoint throughout their careers, particularly during election years. As such, providing respondents of public opinion assessments with the greatest amount of detailed information possible is critical to establishing an informed opinion. This study utilized 29 items to measure death penalty opinion and 14 items to assess death penalty knowledge with 16 vignettes to ascertain support for capital punishment while providing respondents with more information about the murders (e.g., aggravating and mitigating circumstances, offender characteristics, victim characteristics) similar to what a juror might be exposed to during a capital case. The results reveal the variation in opinion and knowledge of the death penalty between a retentionist and abolitionist state.

Authors

• Gavin Lee, University of West Georgia

• Lynn M. Pazzani, University of West Georgia

• Kyle A. Burgason, Iowa State University

• Robert Bohm, University of Central Florida