Gallup: U.S. death penalty support drops below 50% for first time in decades

Public support for the death penalty in the United States has dropped below 50% for the first time since 1971, according to a new survey from Gallup.

The survey of 1,200 adults between Oct. 1–19 found that a plurality of Americans still support the death penalty, but the number sat at 49%. It found that 45% oppose the death penalty and 5% did not have an opinion. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Gallup’s findings show a continued decline in public support for the death penalty since 1994 when 80% of Americans supported it. The last time support for the death penalty was at 49% was in 1971, after which public support steadily climbed up to the 1994 peak.

Only three surveys published by Gallup over the last 70 years found public support lower than 49%. This was in 1957 when support was 47%, in 1965 when support was 45%, and in 1966 when support was 42%.

From 1994 to 2026, a substantial decline in support for the death penalty came from Democrats and independents; however, Republican support has gone down as well. In the past 32 years, support of Democrats decreased from 75% to 28%, support of independents decreased from 79% to 50%, and support of Republicans decreased from 84% to 73%.

“We know that the death penalty is a life issue, not a political issue, which is why it’s particularly encouraging to see that support for capital punishment has decreased among both Republicans and Democrats,” Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, told EWTN News.

The Catholic Mobilizing Network works closely with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on efforts to oppose the death penalty.

It’s particularly encouraging to see that support for capital punishment has decreased among both Republicans and Democrats.”

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy

Catholic Mobilizing Network

“The decline is consistent with what we see traveling across the country and speaking with people in the pews and people of goodwill: More and more people realize that capital punishment neither deters crime nor brings healing for victims,” Vaillancourt Murphy said.

“As the American public becomes less tolerant of this barbaric practice, God willing, more resources and attention can be focused on murder victims and their families to create pathways toward healing and possibly even forgiveness,” she added.

According to the survey, younger people are less likely to support the death penalty than older people. It found support for the death penalty among those aged 18‐29 at 39%, among those aged 30‐49 at 49%, among those aged 50‐64 at 54%, and among those aged 65 and older at 53%.

Although Gallup’s survey suggests a strong decline in public support, a separate survey from Pew Research Center from July found that 66% of Americans support the death penalty for people convicted of murder, as do 65% of Catholic Americans. Gallup’s survey did not break down results by religion.