About 20 percent of the respondents surveyed by Los Angeles-based DecisionQuest, a jury and trial consulting firm, said they opposed the death penalty under all circumstances. A significant number of those same participants said, however, that they would change their minds if a terrorist act were involved, particularly if the attack was both carried out by and killed Americans. The results of the survey were released to Reuters Tuesday. The figures are 19.4 percent for a foreigner who murdered Americans, 18.3 percent for an American who murdered foreigners, and 15.1 percent for a foreigner who murdered foreigners.
Terrorism evokes a strong punitive impulse in people.
The telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults was conducted February 16-18. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent. Among other survey findings was that 12.1 percent believe a murder committed by a terrorist is more deserving of the death penalty than other murders. The death penalty survey began the same day that lawyers for condemned Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh announced their client passed up his last chance for clemency. It would be the first federal execution since 1963.