(07/19/11) -

Americans Want to See “Caylee’s Law” Implemented in Their State

Seven-in-ten respondents are dissatisfied with the verdict reached in the Casey Anthony trial.

A large proportion of Americans would like to employ new guidelines to deal with the death or disappearance of a child, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,006 American adults also shows that most respondents are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Casey Anthony trial.

The Trial

More than half of Americans (54%) say they followed the Casey Anthony trial “very closely” or “moderately closely”, with respondents in the South (60%) and Northeast (59%) and those over the age of 55 (59%) showing more interest in the proceedings.

Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and aggravated child abuse. She was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.

Overall, only 17 per cent of Americans claim to be satisfied with the verdict in this case, while 72 per cent say they are dissatisfied. Four-in-five women (82%) are dissatisfied with the outcome.

An Internet petition—dubbed “Caylee’s Law”—seeks to make it a felony for parents or guardians to wait for more than an hour before reporting the death or disappearance of a child to the proper authorities. Two thirds of Americans (69%) are in favour of enacting this regulation in their own state, while 21 per cent are opposed.

Support for the new regulation is highest in the South (72%), among women (74%), and among respondents over the age of 55 (72%).

Justice System

The trial did not lead to a dramatic shift in the way Americans view their justice system. In an Angus Reid Public Opinion survey conducted in June 2010, half of respondents (51%) said the criminal courts in the U.S. do a good job in determining whether or not an accused person is guilty. The proportion is practically the same in the survey conducted this month (50%).

Also, three-in-ten respondents (31%, +5 since June 2010) think the justice system in the U.S. treats every person fairly, and 16 per cent (-2) believe the prison system in the U.S. does a good job in helping prisoners become law-abiding.

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 July 14 to July 15, 2011, 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. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.