Should the death penalty be abolished?

• Introduction
• Patterns
• Other Surveys

Should the death penalty be abolished? (Demographic Patterns)

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the federal government should . . . abolish the death penalty?. Results weighted by WEIGHT (Baylor Religion Survey, Wave 2, 2007)

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Age

	18-29 years old	30-44 years old	45-59 years old	60-74 years old	75 years and older	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	26.6% 71	39.6% 198	36.4% 164	30.6% 82	24.4% 29	33.9% 544
Disagree	35.2% 94	31.2% 156	32.2% 145	36.2% 97	39.5% 47	33.6% 539
Agree	13.9% 37	11.4% 57	12.9% 58	14.6% 39	16.0% 19	13.1% 210
Strongly agree	13.5% 36	9.4% 47	11.6% 52	10.8% 29	10.1% 12	11.0% 176
Undecided	10.9% 29	8.4% 42	6.9% 31	7.8% 21	10.1% 12	8.4% 135
Missing	5	10	12	6	10	43
TOTAL	100.0% 267	100.0% 500	100.0% 450	100.0% 268	100.0% 119	1604

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Church attendance

	Never	Less than once a month	Less than once a week	Weekly or more	Missing	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	34.6% 128	39.4% 177	32.9% 93	29.5% 142	4	34.1% 540
Disagree	26.8% 99	31.8% 143	38.5% 109	38.0% 183	5	33.7% 534
Agree	14.1% 52	12.9% 58	12.4% 35	12.9% 62	4	13.1% 207
Strongly agree	17.3% 64	9.8% 44	6.4% 18	9.5% 46	4	10.9% 172
Undecided	7.3% 27	6.0% 27	9.9% 28	10.2% 49	4	8.3% 131
Missing	7	17	6	10	0	40
TOTAL	100.0% 370	100.0% 449	100.0% 283	100.0% 482	21	1584

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Education

	Less than high school	High school graduate	Some college or vocational training	College graduate	Postgraduate work/degree	Missing	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	27.2% 31	40.0% 180	36.1% 216	30.7% 66	21.9% 44	7	34.0% 537
Disagree	28.1% 32	33.3% 150	35.1% 210	35.8% 77	30.3% 61	10	33.6% 530
Agree	19.3% 22	11.6% 52	10.5% 63	13.5% 29	19.9% 40	4	13.1% 206
Strongly agree	10.5% 12	6.7% 30	10.5% 63	12.6% 27	20.9% 42	3	11.0% 174
Undecided	14.9% 17	8.4% 38	7.7% 46	7.4% 16	7.0% 14	5	8.3% 131
Missing	11	15	12	1	1	0	40
TOTAL	100.0% 114	100.0% 450	100.0% 598	100.0% 215	100.0% 201	29	1578

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Political party

	Democrat	Independent	Republican	Other	Missing	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	18.5% 108	34.4% 120	48.5% 300	22.6% 7	8	33.8% 535
Disagree	34.2% 200	31.2% 109	34.4% 213	29.0% 9	9	33.5% 531
Agree	19.9% 116	12.6% 44	7.4% 46	12.9% 4	1	13.3% 210
Strongly agree	17.8% 104	13.2% 46	2.6% 16	22.6% 7	3	10.9% 173
Undecided	9.6% 56	8.6% 30	7.1% 44	12.9% 4	0	8.5% 134
Missing	13	2	3	5	0	23
TOTAL	100.0% 584	100.0% 349	100.0% 619	100.0% 31	21	1583

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Sex

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	39.5% 300	28.8% 244	33.9% 544
Disagree	31.6% 240	35.3% 299	33.6% 539
Agree	13.0% 99	13.2% 112	13.1% 211
Strongly agree	10.7% 81	11.3% 96	11.0% 177
Undecided	5.3% 40	11.2% 95	8.4% 135
Missing	16	26	42
TOTAL	100.0% 760	100.0% 846	1606

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Should the death penalty be abolished? by Religion

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	Missing	TOTAL
Strongly disagree	36.4% 329	31.9% 110	21.9% 7	30.4% 55	29.2% 28	15	33.9% 529
Disagree	36.4% 329	33.9% 117	40.6% 13	22.1% 40	31.3% 30	12	33.9% 529
Agree	11.8% 107	16.5% 57	9.4% 3	15.5% 28	9.4% 9	7	13.1% 204
Strongly agree	6.3% 57	9.9% 34	21.9% 7	26.0% 47	20.8% 20	12	10.6% 165
Undecided	9.2% 83	7.8% 27	6.3% 2	6.1% 11	9.4% 9	4	8.5% 132
Missing	27	8	0	0	1	0	36
TOTAL	100.0% 905	100.0% 345	100.0% 32	100.0% 181	100.0% 96	50	1559

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Notes

The Baylor Department of Sociology received a three-year grant from the John M. Templeton Foundation, to conduct a nationally representative multi-year study of religious values, practices, and behaviors. Wave 2 of the Baylor Religion Survey was collected in 2007 and includes a deep selection of questions related to religious behaviors, beliefs and belonging. Special topic modules examine race and religion, and personality.