Survey framing dramatically changes measured death penalty support

Evidence

An anomaly among developed democratic nations, the United States finds itself a bedfellow with oppressive regimes that impose the death penalty (Spielman, 2012). However, within the United States, support for the death penalty is far from universal. Opinions can depend on how survey items are framed in public opinion polls. If people have only one choice of penalty for capital crimes, about 63% support the death penalty. However, when given alternatives, 45% favor lifetime imprisonment, and support for executions drops to 50%. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1838

Categorization

• XREF: Percentages shifting 50-63% by question framing echo the reader’s existing claims about how survey construction shapes expressed social-conservative attitudes (Cooper). — connects to: The same exoneration data supports both reform and defense of capital punishment — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2050; Question framing shifts US death penalty support from 63% to 50%.
• DEFINE: Gives a concrete instance of framing effects on punishment-policy support that could anchor a mechanism claim.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1838