(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A large majority of people in several countries, including the United States and Mexico, support the death penalty, according to a poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press. 71 per cent of respondents in Mexico and 69 per cent in the U.S. back the idea of sentencing convicted murderers to death.

In South Korea, 72 per cent of respondents agree, as well as half of respondents in Britain, 45 per cent in France, and 44 per cent in Canada. People in Germany, Italy and Spain are less inclined to support capital punishment.

The United Nations (UN) opposes the death penalty, but the punishment is legal in over 70 countries. Capital punishment was abolished in Mexico in 2005. Until then, the Mexican Constitution allowed the death penalty in certain circumstances—such as acts of treason—but no person was executed in the country for more than 50 years.

Since 1976, 1,072 people have been put to death in the United States, including 15 this year. More than a third of all executions have taken place in the state of Texas. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia do not engage in capital punishment, and moratoriums on executions have been issued in Illinois and New Jersey.

More than 900 people have been executed in South Korea since 1948. A variety of offences are punishable by death, including murder, expression of sympathy towards North Korea and appropriation of national treasures. Still, there have been no executions in South Korea over the past ten years. If the death penalty is not practiced on anyone by Dec. 29, Amnesty International will classify South Korea as a "death penalty abolitionist in practice."

According to Amnesty International, the number of executions following a capital punishment sentence in the world fell from 2,148 in 2005, to 1,591 in 2006.

Polling Data

Do you favour or oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder?

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