Exploring Support for Capital Punishment: Analysis of Authoritarianism, Race, and the Phrasing of Questions

Abstract

The death penalty is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in United States history. There are a variety of ways in which to study capital punishment, but one aspect that has seen much growth over the last half-century is public opinion research. There is now a vast amount of research that investigates attitudes toward capital punishment. However, much of this literature fails to explore how the specifics of support for the death penalty vary by wording of the questions. Typically, previous studies fail to ask questions that allow respondents to choose from a list of alternatives to the death penalty. Furthermore, very few studies ask respondents how strong their attitudes are for this punishment. As a result, a critical aspect of vital information is missing from research that has contributed to the decisions behind abolishing and reinstating the most severe form of punishment possible. Also, previous studies that examine race and death penalty support have only done so among two major groups: Blacks and Whites. The current study investigates such attitudes with nationally-representative data that were structured with the objective of gauging the full scope of public opinion on capital punishment in America. Expounding upon prior research results, I found nuances in the relationship between public opinion and two of the most salient predictors of death penalty support: authoritarianism and race (including others), as well as other significant controls. Furthermore, support for the death penalty as well as predictors of that support vary according to how the questions are worded. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.