Fall in support for death penalty

New York - The percentage of people supporting the death penalty in the US is dropping, but remains a significant majority, according…

New York - The percentage of people supporting the death penalty in the US is dropping, but remains a significant majority, according to a poll published yesterday.

According to a Harris Interactive poll, 64 per cent of Americans approve of capital punishment, while 25 per cent are opposed. In a similar poll in 1997, 75 per cent were in favour while 22 per cent were opposed. The 1997 poll showed that 53 per cent of those asked supported an increase in executions. That number fell to 43 per cent in 1999 and to 36 per cent now.