The Law Was Repealed, But Majority of CT Voters Support Death Penalty

A bill in 2012 killed the death penalty in Connecticut, yet a majority of voters support capital punishment, according to Quinnipiac Poll results released Monday.

Fifty-eight percent of Connecticut voters support the death penalty, while 36 do not, the poll found. 

Meanwhile, Quinnipiac says voters are divided in their opinion of the 2012 bill that replaces the death penalty with life in prison without the chance of parole — 47 percent approve of it and 49 percent disapprove. 

There's a gender difference on the issue of the state's repeal of the death penalty, too: 57 percent of men disapprove and 40 percent approve, while women approve 53 – 41 percent.

“Despite the botched execution in Oklahoma, we haven’t seen any change in support for the death penalty in Connecticut: 58 percent still support the death penalty, but are divided when given a choice between the death penalty and life without parole,” said Douglas Schwartz, PhD, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Voters' Stance on Other Social Issues

• Recreational and Medicinal Use of Marijuana
• State's New Gun Laws

From May 1 – 6, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,668 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones.

Your Stance?

Do you support the death penalty?