US Death Penalty Support Falls Below 50 Percent
Gallup reports that support for the death penalty has dropped below 50 percent for the first time since 1971, driven by younger adults and Democrats.
A November 2026 poll by Gallup reveals that support for the death penalty in the United States has fallen to 49 percent, the first time it has dropped below the majority threshold since 1971. The survey, conducted between October 1 and 19, found that 45 percent of adults oppose capital punishment for convicted murderers, while 5 percent remain undecided. This marks a steep decline from a peak of 80 percent support in 1994.
The shift is most pronounced among Democrats, whose support fell from 75 percent in 1994 to 28 percent today, and among adults under 30, where support stands at 39 percent. While Republican support remains higher at 73 percent, the data indicates a general downward trend across all political affiliations. However, these findings contrast with a July Pew Research Center survey, which reported that 66 percent of Americans supported the practice.
Recent events have intensified the debate. In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee paused executions following the botched September 30 execution of Christa Pike. Additionally, President Donald Trump canceled a proposal by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an open letter on November 5 stating that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with the state's values.
Advocates for abolition characterized the results as a turning point. Laura Porter of the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty called the practice an "utter failure," while Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy of the Catholic Mobilizing Network stated the decline is consistent with people realizing that capital punishment neither deters crime nor brings healing.
