The instrument had three sections. The first asked whether the subject generally supported or opposed the death penalty for persons convicted of murder. The next section asked respondents to be more specific about the use of the death penalty. The final section presented information from courtroom testimony for five actual cases of criminal homicide and asked respondents whether they favored or opposed capital punishment for each case. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents favored capital punishment. However, considerable diversity existed in opinions regarding how extensively the death penalty should be used. In addition, those favoring capital punishment showed little agreement with the actual outcomes of the five actual cases. Thus, those supporting the death penalty did not necessarily support the manner in which it was being administered. The issue of capital punishment is much more complex than most members of the public realize. 1 table, footnotes, and 16 references.