International Polls and Studies

Country(-ies) Date Issues Brazil 4/07 favor instituting death penalty Finland 11/06 split over use of death penalty Mexico 9/06 split over use of death penalty France 9/06 declining support Brazil 8/06 more favor death penalty Peru 8/06 favor reinstating the death penalty South Africa 5/06 favor reinstating the death penalty Dominican Republic 4/06 favor reinstating the death penalty for certain crimes Britain 2/06 lukewarm support for the death penalty UK and Canada 2/06 Death Penalty support lowest among youth in US, UK and Canada Australia 12/05 support abolition of death penalty Czech Republic 11/05 death penalty debate divided Italy 10/05 most Italians oppose the death penalty Russia 7/06 support for capital punishment high Japan 2/05 most favor death penalty Japan 12/04 Support levels, Respect for Victims New Zealand 07/04 DNA testing, support levels, crime laws South Korea 03/04 deterrence, administration, victim's families UK and Canada 10/03 declining support United Kingdom 08/02 declining support Canada 09/01 declining support, life without parole Canada 02/01 declining support, wrongful convictions Canada 12/98 declining support, life without parole INTERNATIONAL POLLS Brazilians' support for death penalty at 14-year high - 55 % of Brazilians support instituting the death penalty, which does not exist in Brazil, according to the Datafolha survey published in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Brazil's largest. That matches the rate reached in 1993, Datafolha said. The lowest rate was 48 % in 2000. The polling institute's first survey on the issue was in 1991. Datafolha said it interviewed 5,700 people across Brazil on March 19-20, and the survey had a margin of error of 2 % points. During the last survey in August 2006, 51 % of Brazilians favored the death penalty (Associated Press: April 8, 2007). Only 1 of 3 Support the Death Penalty In Finland - A fresh survey indicates that 29 % of Finns would approve of the death penalty as a punishment for certain crimes committed during peacetime. Whereas 36 % of men would support the death penalty, only 22 % of women found it acceptable. Almost 41 % of those aged 35 to 49 are in favour of capital punishment. (Helsingin Sanomat, Suomen Gallup: November 21, 2006) Only Forty Percent of the French Favor the Death Penalty On September 16th, 2006 TNS Sofres released a poll regarding the death penalty in France. Twenty-five years ago France abolished the death penalty, eventhough 62% of the French people supported capital punishment at that time. Currently, only 42% favor reinstating the death penalty, 52% are against reinstatement, and 6% have no opinion. (Nouvelobs.com, September 18, 2006) Gallup Review Compares Support for Capital Punishment Among Countries - An examination of recent Gallup surveys in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada found that Americans are more supportive of the death penalty than are either Britons or Canadians. An October 2005 poll of Americans measured support for the death penalty at 64%, a figure that was significantly higher than the 44% support measured in Canada and the 49% support found in Great Britain during December 2005 polls. Support for the death penalty recently declined in both Great Britain and Canada, but remained the same in the U.S. as in 2003. (Nevertheless, American support for the death penalty is equal to its lowest level in 27 years.) In all three nations, support for capital punishment was lowest among those who were 18-29 years old. (Gallup Poll press release, "Death Penalty Gets Less Support From Britons, Canadians Than Americans," February 20, 2006). Poll Shows Limited Growth in Support Despite Recent Crimes in Japan A recent government survey revealed that despite a recent rush of violent crimes in Japan, support for capital punishment had only risen by 2.1 percent, to 81.4%. The same poll, taken in December 2004, showed that 70.6% of respondents believed that the rights of victims were not respected during the investigations or the trial. 31.8% of respondents also believed that the death penalty would be abolished in the future. (The Japan Times, February 20, 2005) Poll shows Limited Support for Death Penalty in New Zealand A poll by the One News Network and Colmar Brunton Polls showed that of 1,000 New Zealanders, only 28% were in favor of reinstituting the death penalty, against 67% who did not want the practice resumed. 58% of respondents wanted parole laws made more strict, and 28% wanted parole abolished altogether. Also addressed was the use of DNA testing, which 58% of those asked wanted the practice made mandatory. When asked about the death penalty, Justice Minister Phil Goff said that to "take the life of an innocent person is the worst thing that a state can do to its citizens," and as such the justice system could not always guarantee that it had convicted the right person. (Otago Daily Times, New Zealand, July 15, 2004) Koreans Favor Cautious Use, Question Benefits to Victim's Families Results from a state-conducted survey released in March show that 65% of South Koreans believe that the death penalty should remain law. However, only 49% found the practice to be effective in preventing crime, and 58% believed that the country must use caution in administering the punishment. An overwhelming 90% believed that the death penalty provided no benefit for the families of victims. (Korea Times, March 23, 2004) Poll Reveals Declining Support for Death Penalty A Gallup Poll conducted in October, 2003, in the United States, Great Brittain, and Canada shows declining support in the countries for the practice. Canada's support for the death penalty has dropped from 53% to 48% in the two years since the citizens of Canada were last polled. Support in the United Kingdom dropped modestly to 55% supporting the death penalty, after only one year. A study of homicide rates in those countries revealed no scientific evidence to support arguments that the punishment was a deterrent; in Canada, there were 160 fewer murders in 2001 than occurred in 1975, the year before Canada abolished their use of the death penalty. (Gallup Poll Briefing, March 16, 2004) Support for Death Penalty Has Declined in the United Kingdom AN article in The Guardian noted that British support for capital punishment has dropped since 1995. A MORI poll of residents in the United Kingdom found that, even in the wake of revelations about the recent murder of two young girls, public support for the death penalty remains low. In 1995, when the issue of reinstating the death penalty was debated and subsequently defeated in Parliament, 76% of British respondents supported the death penalty. A poll taken after the highly-publicized child murders found only 56% support for capital punishment. (The Guardian, August 21, 2002). See also, International Death Penalty A survey of Canadians found that 52.9% of respondents supported capital punishment, while 43% opposed it. This marks a significant shift in public opinion since 1995, when an Angus Ried poll found 69% supported reinstating the death penalty in Canada. The new poll also found that support for capital punishment dropped even further, to 37.6%, when respondents were offered the alternative sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. "It's a really important drop," said Jean-Marc Leger, head of the polling firm. "Canadians' perceptions of the death penalty have changed in the last few years." (Canada Press, 9/16/01) A recent Ipsos-Reid poll for the Toronto Globe and Mail and CTV shows that support for capital punishment has fallen to 52% among Canadians - down from 69% in 1995 and 73% in 1987. The poll also showed a rise in opposition to the death penalty to 46% - up from 24% in 1987 and 29% in 1995. Ipsos-Reid spokesperson Darrell Brickier suggested that the decline in support is due to increasing media attention on the issue of wrongful convictions. Canadian legislators outlawed the death penalty in 1976. (Toronto Globe and Mail, 2/16/01) See also, International Death Penalty. Although previous opinion polls have indicated over 70% support for the death penalty in Canada, that support has dramatically dropped. A poll showed an even split on the death penalty generally, with 48% supporting it and 47% opposing it. When asked which sentence they would favor for the most serious crimes, 53% supported a life sentence and only 42% supported the death penalty. (Montreal Gazette, 12/31/98).