US support for death penalty falls below majority for first time since 1971

A new Gallup poll has found that support for capital punishment in the United States has dropped below 50 percent for the first time since 1971. The survey, released on Tuesday, showed 49 percent of respondents in favour of the death penalty for people convicted of murder, the lowest figure recorded since 1966, while 45 percent said they were opposed.

Gallup noted that although the result is statistically close to last year's 52 percent approval, this is the first time support has dipped below majority level since 1971, when it also stood at 49 percent.

According to the polling organisation, backing for capital punishment has been gradually declining for decades due to concerns over fairness, racial bias, high costs, execution errors, and the risk of wrongly executing innocent people. Research over many years has also challenged claims that the death penalty deters crime.

The poll revealed significant differences based on age and political affiliation. Among people aged 50 and over, 54 percent support the death penalty, compared with only 39 percent of those under 30.

By political party, 73 percent of Republicans back capital punishment, compared with 50 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats. However, support has fallen across all three groups since 1994, dropping 11 points among Republicans, 29 points among independents, and 47 points among Democrats.

That period coincided with a tough-on-crime political era embraced by both major parties, which led to the US becoming one of the world's largest incarcerators and expanded the range of crimes eligible for execution.