US support for death penalty drops to 49%, first sub-50% reading since 1971

Lowest support in decades

Support for the death penalty among US adults has fallen to 49%, according to a Gallup poll released on 10 November. Another 45% said they oppose capital punishment for convicted murderers. It is the first time support has dipped below half since 1971, when it stood at the same 49%. The lowest reading in the series, 42%, was recorded in 1966, while the peak of 80% dates to 1994. Gallup fielded the survey from 1 to 19 October by telephone among 1,200 adults, with a margin of error of four percentage points.

1966

42 %

1971

49 %

1994

80 %

October 2026

49 %

Data from the article text

A botched execution sets the backdrop

The survey began a day after Christa Pike, a 50-year-old woman sentenced in 1995 for the murder of a classmate, survived a lethal injection in Nashville, Tennessee at the end of September. She was given two doses of pentobarbital, and the Washington Post describes her as the first known person to survive a full lethal injection sequence in the country. Hospital treatment followed, after which she returned to prison, where she says she suffers constant pain. Outgoing Governor Bill Lee, who had denied her clemency application, has paused executions in Tennessee and opened an investigation into the botched execution, with the pause reported to run through the end of the year.

Divides by party and age

Democrats are the group where support has fallen furthest, with 28% in favor, 28 points below the level of 2000 and 47 points below their 1994 peak. Independents stand at 50%. Republicans remain the most supportive at 73%, one of the lowest readings Gallup has recorded for conservatives, a group whose approval had hovered near 80% since the 1990s. Among adults under 30, 39% favor the death penalty, down from 61% in that age group in 2000. Axios reports that 57% of 18- to 34-year-olds are not in favor, compared with 41% of those aged 35 to 54 and 42% of those 55 and older.

Democrats28%

Independents50%

Republicans73%

Democrats

28 %

Independents

50 %

Republicans

73 %

Data from the article text

Clemency, livestreams and the states

Donald Trump dropped the planned livestream of the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, after public outrage. Axios notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had floated the livestream idea and has since dropped it. California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted 548 death sentences to life terms. Laura Porter of the US Campaign to End the Death Penalty said the poll points to a decisive turning point in public opinion, and that governors of both parties have recently granted more clemency requests.

Where executions stand

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have abolished the death penalty, while it remains on the books in 27 states and the federal system. California, Oregon and Pennsylvania have moratoriums in place. Axios counts 35 executions so far in 2026 and 47 in 2025. The Washington Post reports that seven states have carried out executions this year and that Florida has executed 19 people. Several executions, including Hasan's, are scheduled before the end of the year. The Death Penalty Information Center notes that long waits between sentencing and execution mean the yearly count does not necessarily reflect public mood.