Support for the death penalty in the U.S. is at its lowest level — 53% — since the early 1970s, Gallup reported this week. The pollster attributes the decrease to the fact that younger people — those born after 1980 — are less likely to support capital punishment than older Americans. According to Gallup, six in 10 older adults support the death penalty.
And while the number of Republicans who support the death penalty has remained steady over the years, lower support is evident “among political independents and, especially, Democrats,” according to Gallup’s poll.
The drop in support for capital punishment aligns with an increase in other liberal points of view, including support for same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana, and people who have children outside of marriage, according to Gallup.