USA - Galluo Pool: Death penalty support lowest ever

According to the Gallup's 2011 poll,  support for the death penalty in the United States has fallen to a 39-year low. The survey found that 61 % of Americans back the death penalty, down from 64 % last year, the lowest since 1972 when the Supreme Court ruled on Furman v. Georgia, which lead to a moratorium on capital punishment for several years. When Gallup gave people a choice a year ago between sentencing a murderer to death or life without parole, an option in each of the 34 states that have the death penalty, only 49 % chose capital punishment. Of those polled, 40 % said the death penalty is not imposed “often enough,” the lowest level since Gallup first asked the question in May 2001. Meanwhile, 25 % said the death penalty is used “too often,” and 27 % said it is used “about the right amount.” The survey also indicates that Americans feel less confident that the death penalty is applied fairly than they have in recent years, with 52 % saying they think the punishment is used fairly, down from 58 % last year. The poll was conducted from Oct. 6-9 among 1,005 adults via telephone interviews. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 % points.