Overall Support for the Death Penalty Falls to Five-Decade Low

Public support for capital punishment continues to decline, according to recent polling from Gallup, which found that overall support for the death penalty in the U.S. has fallen to 53% today-the lowest level since the early 1970s.

This five-decade low in overall support for the death penalty reflects substantial growth in opposition to capital punishment among Americans born after 1980.

While support for the death penalty among older Americans has declined about 6% since 2000, support among millennials (ages 28 to 43) has fallen 25% from 2000 to only 47% today.

More than half of adults between the ages of 18 and 43 now oppose the death penalty, according to Gallup. Opposition is especially strong among the youngest adults-58% of Gen Z oppose the death penalty.