In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,002 Canadian adults, three-in-five respondents (63%) believe the death penalty is sometimes appropriate. About a quarter of Canadians (23%) believe capital punishment is never warranted, while about one-in-ten (8%) think it is always appropriate.

Supporters and Opponents

Three-in-five Canadians (61%) say they support reinstating the death penalty for murder in Canada, which was abolished in July 1976. A third of respondents across the country (34%) disagree with this view.

The group that supports the death penalty encompasses seven-in-ten British Columbians and Albertans (72% each), and three-in-five Ontarians (62%). These respondents believe that the death penalty would serve as a deterrent for potential murderers (58%), that it would save taxpayers money and the costs associated with having murderers in prison (56%) and that if a convicted murderer has taken a life, the death penalty fits the crime (55%). Fewer supporters of capital punishment think it would provide closure to the families of murder victims (42%) and that murderers cannot be rehabilitated (23%).

Conversely, most opponents of the death penalty reside in Quebec (45%), but are joined by a third of Ontarians (32%) and one-in-four British Columbians (24%). These respondents are primarily concerned over the possibility of wrongful convictions leading to executions (75%), but most also feel that, even if a convicted murderer has taken a life, it is wrong to take the murderer’s own life as punishment (54%). Half of capital punishment opponents (48%) think the death penalty would not serve as a deterrent, three-in-ten (31%) believe murderers should do their time in prison, as indicated by a judge, and one-in-five (21%) think murderers can be rehabilitated.

Life or Death

When asked to select between two possible courses of action to deal with convicted murderers in Canada, half of respondents (50%) prefer life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, while two-in-five (38%) favour the death penalty.

While Ontarians (49%) are aligned with Quebecers (55%) in choosing life in prison as a punishment for murderers, British Columbians (52%) and Albertans (49%) continue to voice support for the return of the death penalty.

Political Allegiance

Respondents who voted for the Conservative Party in the 2011 federal election are more likely to regard the death penalty as “always” or “sometimes” appropriate (88%), to support the return of capital punishment (80%), and to maintain a preference for the death penalty instead of life in prison (50%).

A majority of Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party last year are opposed to the return of the death penalty and express a preference for life imprisonment.

New Democratic Party (NDP) voters are divided on the question regarding support or opposition to the death penalty, but select life imprisonment when given the choice between two courses of action.

Analysis

Last year, Angus Reid Public Opinion asked similar questions in the United States and Britain, and found that a majority of respondents in both countries supported the continuation or the return of the death penalty. Americans and Britons also selected capital punishment over life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Canadians are unique in the sense that they back the return of the death penalty, but the level of support for this change drops considerably when paired against the notion of life imprisonment without parole. While the mandatory sentence for a person convicted of murder in Canada is life behind bars, the parole ineligibility period ranges from five to 25 years, depending on the offence and circumstances.

Aside from the evident political divide, there is a regional split that should not be overlooked. Western Canadians support the return of the death penalty by a 3-to-1 margin, and prefer it to the idea of life imprisonment without parole. Quebecers and Ontarians are lukewarm on the possibility of capital punishment coming back, and would rather see murderers in prison for the rest of their lives.

Finally, supporters of the death penalty are convinced about its effect in deterring crime and saving taxpayer dollars. The prevailing quarrel for opponents of capital punishment—as was observed in the United States and Britain last year—is the risk of executing innocent people.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From February 2 to February 3, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,002 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,020 American adults, 63 per cent of respondents think the death penalty is sometimes appropriate, while 17 per cent deem it always appropriate, and just 12 per cent believe it is never appropriate.

Across the country, seven-in-ten Americans (70%) support the possibility of prosecutors relying on the death penalty for murder cases in, while only one-in-five (20%) are opposed to this course of action.

Supporters of the death penalty believe that the punishment fits the crime (70%), and say that it saves taxpayers money and the costs associated with having murderers in prison (53%) serves as a deterrent for potential murderers (52%), and provides closure to the families of murder victims. One-in-four death penalty supporters (26%) think that murderers cannot be rehabilitated.

Opponents of the death penalty are concerned about a person being wrongly convicted and then executed (76%), believe that it does not serve as a deterrent for potential murderers (52%), and think it is wrong to take the murderer’s own life as punishment (42%). Fewer respondents state that murderers should do their time in prison as indicated by a judge (36%) and 13 per cent believe that murderers can be rehabilitated.

When asked to select the appropriate punishment for convicted murderers in the United States, 56 per cent of respondents pick the death penalty, while 27 per cent choose life imprisonment.

Analysis

The regional fluctuations on these questions are not dramatic, although respondents in the Midwest are the least likely to deem capital punishment as inappropriate, and also the least likely to oppose the possibility of prosecutors relying on the death penalty for murder cases in the United States.

On the political front, Independents (76%) are closer to Republicans (83%) in their level of support for the death penalty. Democrats are lower (62%), but not truly opposed to capital punishment. However, while Republicans and Independents select the death penalty over life imprisonment by sizeable margins, Democrats are almost evenly split.

Americans who support the death penalty firmly believe that the punishment is adequate, and more than half also see it as a practice that saves taxpayers money and acts as a deterrent. Conversely, three-in-four opponents of capital punishment are worried about wrongful convictions.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From September 21 to September 22, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,020 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

The online survey of a representative national sample of 2,039 British adults also shows that the public is interested in seeing this issue debated in Parliament.

Across Great Britain, three-in-five respondents (59%) believe the death penalty is sometimes appropriate, while 22 per cent believe the practice is never appropriate and 13 per cent think capital punishment is always appropriate.

Two thirds of Britons (65%) support reinstating the death penalty for murder in Great Britain, while three-in-ten (28%) oppose this course of action. Men (68%), respondents aged 35-to-54 (66%) and those over the age of 55 (67%) are more likely to endorse the change.

The respondents who voice support for reinstating the death penalty in Great Britain believe that, if a convicted murderer has taken a life, the death penalty fits the crime (68%) and also that capital punishment would serve as a deterrent for potential murderers (also 68%). More than half of death penalty supporters also think reinstatement would save taxpayers money and the costs associated with having murderers in prison (56%). In addition, 45 per cent of these respondents think the death penalty would provide closure to the families of murder victims, and 25 per cent think that murderers cannot be rehabilitated.

Conversely, the people who voice opposition for reinstating the death penalty in Great Britain are primarily concerned with the possibility of a person being wrongly convicted and then executed (83%) and also believe that it is wrong to take a murderer’s own life as punishment (55%). Other reasons cited for opposing the death penalty are that it would not serve as a deterrent for potential murderers (41%), that murderers should do their time in prison as indicated by a judge (34%), and that murderers can be rehabilitated (16%).

When asked which of two approaches they would prefer as a punishment for convicted murderers in Great Britain, more than half of respondents (52%) select the death penalty, while one third (35%) choose life imprisonment. Once again, men, middle-aged respondents and older respondents are more likely to call for the death penalty than women and younger respondents.

Finally, three-in-four Britons (75%) believe that MPs should debate whether the death penalty should be reinstated, while 18 per cent would not like to see this topic discussed in the House of Commons.

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Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From August 11 to August 12, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,039 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,006 American adults also finds that a high proportion of respondents believe that innocent people have been executed in the United States.

Across the country, 83 per cent of respondents support punishing homicide with the death penalty, while 13 per cent are opposed. A majority of Americans would also rely on capital punishment to punish rape (62%) and kidnapping (51%), but not armed robbery (40%).

Respondents are evenly split on the overall effect of the death penalty. While 39 per cent of Americans think capital punishment acts as a deterrent, 35 per cent disagree. Republicans (52%) are more likely to believe that the death penalty deters potential criminals than Independents (40%) and Democrats (34%).

Four-in-five respondents (81%) believe innocent people have been executed in the United States, while only six per cent think that this has never happened.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From October 28 to October 29, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,006 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States.

Americans of all political stripes have a similar moral compass on issues such as contraception, divorce and infidelity, but some striking differences become evident when their party allegiance is assessed, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,010 American adults, four-in-five respondents (80%) personally believe that contraception is morally acceptable.

At least half of respondents across the country feel the same way about gambling (68%), divorce (64%), sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman (64%), the death penalty (63%), medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos (55%) and having a baby outside of marriage (52%).

More than a third of respondents think six other issues are morally acceptable: buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur (43%), sexual relations between two people of the same sex (40%), abortion (37%), doctor-assisted suicide (36%), medical testing on animals (34%) and pornography (33%).

Only a quarter of respondents believe prostitution (25%) and cloning animals (24%) are morally acceptable. Less than one-in-five feel the same way about using illegal drugs (18%), suicide (14%), polygamy (12%), cloning humans (11%), married men and/or women having an affair (8%) and pedophilia (4%).

Political Allegiance

Republicans are clearly not in agreement with Democrats and Independents on seven of the issues that were included in the survey, including medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos (46%), having a baby outside of marriage (38%), abortion (27%), sexual relations between two people of the same sex (22%), pornography (22%), prostitution (16%) and illegal drugs (9%).

Democrats are more likely than the other two groups to find each issue as “morally acceptable” with the exception of three: the death penalty (57%), buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur (35%) and medical testing on animals (33%).

Independents are more likely to find sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman (73%) doctor-assisted suicide (42%), cloning animals (30%) and polygamy (16%) as “morally acceptable.”

Analysis

Republicans are evidently less accepting than other Americans when it comes to specific issues related to sex (same-sex relations, pornography and prostitution), and life (abortion, embryonic stem cell research). Democrats are at the other side of the spectrum on the treatment of animals (fur and medical testing) and are less likely to endorse the death penalty.

Independents are slightly closer to the Republicans on some moral issues (such as the death penalty and animal fur) and tend to side with the Democrats on others (such as prostitution and embryonic stem cell research).

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From September 30 to October 1, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,010 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Conversely, 18 per cent of respondents say lawmakers should completely abolish the death penalty, while 29 per cent would preserve the current state of moratorium.

Both the Soviet Union and Russia contemplated the death penalty as punishment for several crimes. Executions were usually carried out by firing squad. Russian president Boris Yeltsin introduced a decree to enact a "gradual cessation" of the practice. In 1997, Yeltsin signed a moratorium on capital punishment, which remains in place today.

Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. United Russia (YR)—whose candidate list was headed by then president Vladimir Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. On that same month, Putin endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as prime minister.

In March 2008, Medvedev easily won Russia’s presidential election with 70.28 per cent of the vote. In May, Medvedev was sworn in as president. His nomination of Putin as prime minister was confirmed by the State Duma in a 392-56 vote.

In November 2009, Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled that the moratorium on capital punishment—which expired last year—had to be extended until the Russian Federation acts to completely ban executions.

Valery Zorkin, the court’s head, explained that the end of the moratorium "does not make it possible to apply the death penalty on Russian territory" because the country has signed on to international treaties banning the use of capital punishment.

Polling Data

How would you solve the question of the application of the death penalty in Russia?

The South American country abolished capital punishment in 1979, with the exception of crimes of treason committed in a time of war. Brazil ratified the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty in August 1996.

On Jan. 17, Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira—a 48-year old Brazilian man who was convicted on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to death in Indonesia—told a Brazilian newspaper that he hopes his country’s government does something to help him. Cardoso Moreira has said he wants to avoid execution and pay a sentence of life in prison or 20 years in prison instead.

In late January, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote a personal letter to Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhonono asking him to spare the Brazilian prisoner’s life, saying, "I wish to address a matter of humanitarian concern. (…) I count on your generosity so that the matter does not create a reaction in the Brazilian public opinion which could possibly have an impact on our relationship. A relationship that both of us wish to strengthen."

Polling Data

People in Brazil hold differing views on some controversial issues. As I go through this list, tell me if you’re in favour or against each one – The Death Penalty

Source: Instituto Sensus
Methodology: Interviews with 2,000 Brazilian adults, conducted from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Since 1976, 1,193 people have been put to death in the United States, including five this year. More than a third of all executions have taken place in the state of Texas. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia do not engage in capital punishment.

Britain began a five-year moratorium on all death penalties from criminal convictions in 1965, and made the suspension permanent in 1969. Execution for any of five military offences—including "Serious Misconduct in Action" and "Obstructing Operations or Giving False Air Signals"—was repealed in 1998, though the last instance of its invocation occurred in 1942.

The last execution in Canada took place in 1962, and the country abolished the death penalty altogether in 1976.

Michael Victor Lane, a British motivational speaker, is facing prosecution in the U.S. for the alleged murder of a woman and the alleged attempted murder of a transsexual in Las Vegas. On Jan. 14, Robert Daskas, deputy Clark County district attorney, said that Lane’s situation "could potentially be a death penalty case." Prosecutors have one month to decide whether they will pursue a death sentence for Lane.

Polling Data

Would you support punishing each of the following crimes with the death penalty? – Homicide (murder)

Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,001 Canadian adults, 1,004 American adults, and 1,049 British adults, conducted from Aug. 13 to Aug. 16, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Complete Poll (PDF)

Version française (PDF)

People in the United States, Britain and Canada are in agreement in their assessment of some aspects of crime legislation—including rehabilitation and prevention—but a large proportion of respondents voice support for applying the death penalty for murder convictions, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of representative national samples found that at least three-in-five respondents in each one of the countries surveyed (63% in Britain, 67% in the U.S. and 65% in Canada) believe that when lawmakers set mandatory minimum sentences, they are getting tough on crime and sending a message to criminals.

Views on Sentencing

However, less than a quarter of respondents (16% in Britain, 19% in the U.S. and 19% in Canada) think long prison sentences are the most powerful way to reduce crime.

While Americans are clearly convinced that a person who commits a relatively minor crime may be punished too severely because of mandatory minimum sentences (72%), agreement with this notion is lower in both Britain (57%) and Canada (55%).

More than three-quarters of respondents in the three countries agree that trying to rehabilitate people who have committed crimes is an important part of preventing crime, and want their criminal justice system to focus, above else, on preventing crime before it occurs.

Perceptions on Crime Rates

A majority of respondents in Britain (59%) and the United States (56%) say that, to the best of their knowledge, crime rates in their country have increased on the last five years. This view is shared by 44 per cent of Canadians. However, one-in-four respondents in Canada (26%) think crime rates have decreased in the past five years.

Punishment

In the United States, where the death penalty can still be applied under specific guidelines in certain jurisdictions, 84 per cent of respondents support relying on capital punishment in cases of homicide. A majority of Americans also endorse the death penalty for rape (62%) and kidnapping (53%), while two-in-five (40%) would approve of its use in cases or armed robbery.

In Canada and Britain, where the death penalty for homicide was abolished in 1976 and 1969 respectively, more than 60 per cent of respondents support relying on capital punishment for murderers. The level of support for death penalty on other cases is considerably lower in both countries.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Canadian Tables (PDF)

CONTACT:

Andrew Grenville, Chief Research Officer
+416 640 3993
andrew.grenville@angus-reid.com

Both the Soviet Union and Russia contemplated the death penalty as punishment for several crimes. Executions were usually carried out by firing squad. Russian president Boris Yeltsin introduced a decree to enact a "gradual cessation" of the practice. In 1997, Yeltsin signed a moratorium on capital punishment, which remains in place today.

Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. United Russia (YR)—whose candidate list was headed by then president Vladimir Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. On that same month, Putin endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as prime minister.

In March 2008, Medvedev easily won Russia’s presidential election with 70.28 per cent of the vote. In May, Medvedev was sworn in as president. His nomination of Putin as prime minister was confirmed by the State Duma in a 392-56 vote.

Last month, Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled that the moratorium on capital punishment must be extended until the Russian Federation acts to completely ban executions.

Presidential advisor Mikhail Krotov discussed the possible next steps, saying, "The State Duma hasn’t yet ratified the protocol banning capital punishment because many in Russia support the death penalty. The society needs more time to ban the death penalty. But the government structures support a ban on capital punishment."

Polling Data

Which of the following statements comes closest to how you feel about the death penalty?

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews to 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Jun. 26 to Jun. 29, 2009. No margin of error was provided.