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Examining Attitudes About the Death Penalty

NCJ Number
174278
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1998 Pages: 1-5-26
Author(s)
B K Payne; V Coogle
Date Published
1998
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Research shows educating people about various issues associated with the death penalty has little effect on their attitudes about capital punishment, leading researchers to conclude a person's background has more impact on opinion than educational presentations.
Abstract
Past research on factors affecting attitudes toward the death penalty has focused on such variables as race, gender, political affiliation, and community size. In addition, research indicates some of the most commonly cited arguments for and against the death penalty concern deterrence, cost, and racial disparity. The current research was conducted in the university setting to assess student attitudes toward capital punishment. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by students taking various courses during the 1995-1996 academic year. The age of students ranged from 18 to 47 years. Independent variables included gender, race, major, political affiliation, year in school, and community size. Results showed race and political affiliation affected attitudes toward capital punishment, while gender, major, and community size did not. Implications of the research findings are discussed. 32 references, 23 endnotes, and 2 tables

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