Explaining Spatial Variation in Support for Capital Punishment: A Multilevel Analysis (From Committee on Law and Justice: Death Penalty Seminar, 2004, -- See NCJ-206355)

• NCJ Number: 206361
• Author(s): Eric P. Baumer; Steven F. Messner; Richard Rosenfeld
• Date Published: July 2004
• Length: 32 pages
• Sale Source: National Academies Press
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This working paper, examines the effects of social context on support for capital punishment.

Abstract

Recent national surveys indicate continued widespread support for the death penalty among Americans. However, some research has revealed that there is substantial variation in death penalty support within the United States and that some of this variation may be regional. However, little is known about spatial variation in support for the death penalty. The current study examined the sources of variation in death penalty support across a representative sample of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Multivariate models were applied to individual-level data from the General Social Survey (GSS) that were linked with homicide data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and socioeconomic data from the United States Census Bureau. The dependent variable was a binary measure of respondents’ attitudes toward the death penalty. Key independent variables included homicide rate, degree of political conservatism in local climate, relative size of minority population, and level of economic inequality in the primary sampling unit. The analysis estimated multiple regression models describing the extent of variation in support for the death penalty across the sampling unit and evaluated whether the observed variation was due to compositional differences. Findings indicate that residents of areas with high homicide rates, a large proportion of Blacks, and a conservative political climate are significantly more likely to support the death penalty. These findings are consistent with instrumental, social threat, and constructionist perspectives on spatial variation of death penalty support. Overall, the analysis highlights the importance of the larger social context for explaining individual attitudes toward the death penalty. Future research should consider how micro- and macro-level factors interact in their effects on capital punishment attitudes. Tables, appendix, references