Support for death penalty among Catholics plummets

Stat house
April 2005

Support for death penalty among Catholics plummets
In what he termed an "important and fascinating project," pollster John Zogby, President and CEO, Zogby International, last month at a Washington press conference hosted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops described a startling, large-scale shift in Catholic attitudes toward the death penalty first reported by Salt of the Earth in March. In past surveys, Catholic support for the use of capital punishment had been as high as 68 percent. But in a comprehensive November 2004 survey—Zogby International interviewed as many as 1700 Catholics—"We found that support for the use of the death penalty among American Catholics has plunged in the past few years," Zogby said. "The intensity of support has declined as well.

"We found that less than half of the Catholic adults in our poll (48 percent) now support the use of the death penalty, while 47 percent oppose it. Even more striking, though, is the drop in intensity of support among those Catholics who continue to support the use of the death penalty. Further, the percentage of Catholics who are intensely supportive of the death penalty has been halved, from a high of 40 percent to 20 percent in this survey."

A follow-up survey in March, Zogby says, indicates that opposition to the death penalty among Catholics may actually be building. The newer results included a 10 percent increase in Catholics who "strongly oppose" the use of the death penalty—from 27 percent (November) to 37 percent (March). "This may be a growing trend," Zogby said.

"Of particular interest, is the finding in both surveys that frequent attendees of Mass are less likely to support the death penalty. Traditionally, this group has been seen as among the most politically conservative cohorts on some issues. In addition, younger Catholics are more opposed the use of the death penalty. And those who attended Catholic colleges also are more opposed to the death penalty."

In the March survey, Zogby found that almost a third of Catholics (29 percent) were “once in favor of the use of the death penalty, but now oppose it.” The number one reason cited for this change is “religion/belief.”

In what, he noted was a positive sign and a "call to action" for U.S, bishops, Zogby reported that two out of three Catholics were familiar with the church's teaching on the death penalty and by a wide margin understand that the late Pope John Paul II and U.S. bishops opposed its use.

Four out of every five Catholics (79 percent) believe that opposition to the use of the death penalty is “consistent with the defense of human life.” This number includes 69 percent of those who describe themselves as "somewhat supportive" of the death penalty. The report also concludes that two out of three Catholics (63 percent) are deeply concerned about what the use of the death penalty “does to us as a people and a country.” Again, this includes a majority of those who are somewhat supportive of the death penalty. Zogby said, "These results offer promise of persuading more Catholics on the issue."

Unlike the general population, the most popular reasons why Catholics oppose the death penalty are related to ‘Thou shalt not kill” and “respect for life,” according to Zogby. They lead over other important concerns such as poor legal representation among the condemned, the conviction and sentencing of innocent people, and racially discriminatory practices on capital murder cases.

Zogby concluded: "For the bishops’ conference, there is much good news in this research and much to build on. There is also clearly more work to be done in preaching, teaching, and helping Catholics think about and act on the death penalty. This is why I believe the Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty is an important development for the Church and the nation."

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