How has time changed Americans’ perspective on the death penalty? This week we’re taking a look back at the evolution of public opinion on capital punishment from the early 20th century to the present day.
Capital punishment has been a part of American history since the country’s inception. The first recorded death sentence in the American colonies was issued in 1608. Fast forward to 2025, and the situation is dramatically different: 144 countries have abolished the death penalty, leaving the U.S. in the minority. Currently 27 states continue to carry out capital punishment, along with the federal government and the military.
Public opinion on capital punishment has fluctuated over the decades. In one of the earliest polls on the topic during 1936, Gallup asked respondents if they supported the death penalty for murder. 61% of respondents were in support while 39% opposed. Gallup has continued to ask this question over the decades and by 1956, support had grown a bit to 64% with 34% opposed. But in the 1960s, attitudes appeared to shift: in 1966 47% of Americans said they opposed the death penalty for murder while 42% approved — the lowest level of support Gallup has ever found over decades of polling on the topic.
Indeed the very next year, 1967, approval for the death penalty in murder cases shot back up to 54% as unrest related to Civil Rights and the Vietnam War began to dominate headlines. Whether they were related is unclear.
As the 1970s unfolded, support kept climbing…and didn’t stop for several decades. Gallup found 66% support in 1976, 72% in and 80% in 1994 — the highest number Gallup has yet seen supporting the death penalty.
However, in the 2000s, the tide began to turn. When Gallup polled in 2008 64% of respondents still supported the death penalty for murder convictions, but 30% were opposed—a noticeable increase in opposition compared to past decades. By 2017, support was at 55% and opposition at 40% — the closest narrowest gap between support and opposition on this topic since 1972.
The conversation surrounding the death penalty have continued to evolve, especially as multiple states have abolished capital punishment for some crimes.
Over the past couple of years, public opinion has remained divided with a small majority supporting the death penalty. Most recently, in 2023, Gallup polled on capital punishment for murder convictions and 53% of respondents backed the penalty while 44% opposed.
The death penalty debate in America is no longer simply about “guilt” or “innocence” but has grown into a complex issue of fairness, ethics, and justice. In some ways, the data mirrors the slow unraveling of support for the practice and the end of the punishment in many states.
What does the future of capital punishment look like in the United States? While support may be steadily decreasing and many states have now banned the practice, other states — and the second Trump Administration’s Department of Justice — continue to sentence people to death and have, in some cases, moved to expand its use. Will public opinion follow?
This post was written by Marist Poll Media Team members Hunter Petro and AJ Gambino.