Friday, July 27, 2012

Poll Watch: Rasmussen (R) Survey on the Colorado Shooting and the Death Penalty


If a jury believes a suspected criminal is mentally ill, should that suspect be punished less severely than someone who is not mentally ill? 
  • Yes 25% 
  • No 55% 
  • Undecided 20% 
If convicted, should the suspect in the Colorado shooting incident receive the death penalty?
  • Yes 66% 
  • No 24% 
Do you favor or oppose the death penalty? 
  • Favor 67% 
  • Oppose 25% 
National survey of 1,000 adults was conducted July 24-25, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points. 

Inside the numbers: 
Men support the death penalty even more strongly than women do. The majority of both groups also think the Colorado suspect should get the death penalty if convicted.  
Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and 73% of adults not affiliated with either political party are in favor of the death penalty, a view shared by 53% of Democrats.  
Most Americans across the demographic board agree that a mentally ill-suspected criminal should not be treated less severely than one who is not. 
Eight-six percent (86%) of Americans have been following news reports about the recent shooting incident in Colorado at least somewhat closely, including 45% have been following them very closely.

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