The notion that it acts as a deterrent to murder. By 1991 it was down to 51 percent. Today just 43 percent agree. That includes roughly equal numbers of supporters and opponents of the death penalty. Given a choice of the death penalty vs. life in prison for convicted murderers, Republicans favor the death penalty by a 2-1 margin, while more Democrats prefer the life sentence.
Independents divide right down the middle.
Similarly, while 61 percent of Democrats said they'd support a law replacing the death penalty with mandatory life, this declines to 49 percent of independents and 36 percent of Republicans. Democrats and independents each account for just under a third of the public, slightly outnumbering Republicans. On the basic measure, the death penalty with no alternative offered, it's supported by 70 percent of men, compared to 58 percent of women. And a law replacing the death penalty with mandatory life is favored by 44 percent of men, compared to 57 percent of women. The results have a three-point error margin.