Pew report finds most American Catholics favor death penalty for those convicted of murder

The research showed that support for the death penalty among U.S. adults is 6 percentage points higher than it was in April 2021.

A Pew Research Center survey found that 65% of American Catholics favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, with 28% who “strongly” favor it.

The research showed that support for the death penalty among U.S. adults is 6 percentage points higher than it was in April 2021, and it is about equal to where it was in August 2020 (65%).

It found that about two-thirds of all Americans (66%) favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

Pew surveyed 3,554 U.S. adults from July 6–12. Participants were all members of Pew’s American Trends Panel, which is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for the sample of respondents was plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

The report, “Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty for Those Convicted of Murder,” found that 32% of Americans oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder, 13% of whom reported they “strongly oppose” it.

While most Catholics favor it, 34% said they oppose it, with 15% who “strongly oppose” it.

When asked in the context of morality, 68% of all respondents said they see the death penalty as morally justified for those who have committed murder, while 28% believe it is morally wrong.

Of Catholics, 64% believe the death penalty is morally justified when someone commits murder, and 32% said it is morally wrong.

A 59% majority of all Americans said the death penalty is not a crime deterrent, while 39% said that it is. A majority of Americans (73%) also said there is some risk that an innocent person could be put to death, but a quarter said that there are safeguards in place to prevent this.

Since the start of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly spoken out in strong opposition of the death penalty.

“I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected,” the pope said in April.

His remarks against the death penalty echo a relatively new magisterial teaching in the Catholic Church, which was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018. The Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2267).

Views differ by political party, age, and education

The poll showed partisan divides on the death penalty persist among U.S. adults.

Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party overwhelmingly support the death penalty with 84% in favor, including 47% who “strongly favor” it. Democrats and Democratic leaners were about split between support (51%) and opposition (48%).

Most Republicans (85%) also said the death penalty is morally justified for a crime like murder, while Democrats are more split on the issue with 55% who believe it is morally justified and 42% who do not.

Republicans and Democrats were most divided over whether the death penalty is fairly applied to different races.

Most Republicans (77%), said white and Black people are equally likely to be sentenced to the death penalty for similar crimes, and only 23% of Democrats reported the same.

The report also noted that younger adults are slightly less supportive of the death penalty than older adults. Of adults ages 18 to 29, 58% said it is morally wrong, compared with 47% of those 65 and older.

Adults with a college degree, especially those with a postgraduate degree, are also slightly less likely than those with a high school degree or only some college education to favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.