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Extremists or Believers? Religious Salience, Literalness, Attribution Styles and Attitudes Toward the Death Penalty Among Students: An Empirical Examination of Main and Moderating Effects

NCJ Number
208308
Journal
Journal of Crime & Justice Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 119-149
Author(s)
Monica L. P. Robbers Ph.D.
Date Published
2004
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Based on responses from a modified, stratified, random sample of 215 students at a private, religiously affiliated institution in Washington, DC, this study examined any links between religious affiliation, religious salience, religious literalness, attribution styles, and attitudes toward the death penalty.
Abstract
Control variables measured race, gender, age, religious affiliation, political affiliation, political party orientation, education, respondent's major area of study, and crime victimization. The dependent variable, attitudes toward the death penalty, was measured through 10 questions that pertained to whether the death penalty should be available in all States and the characteristics of offenders and crimes that warranted the death penalty. Data analysis proceeded in three stages. First, descriptive statistics and analyses of means for the study variables were compiled. Second, regression analysis was used to test the extent to which the control variables, attribution style, religious salience, and religious literalness predicted attitudes toward the death penalty. Third, regression analysis with cross-product terms was used to conduct a preliminary investigation of interaction effects between the main study variables. On average, the respondents favored having the death penalty; however, religious affiliation was not a significant predictor of attitudes toward the death penalty; however, the analysis suggested that female Catholics may have been more anti-death penalty than both male Catholics and non-Catholics. When religious salience and religious literalness were examined for the entire sample, neither significantly predicted attitudes toward the death penalty; however, biblical literalness was a significant predictor of pro-death penalty attitudes for Catholics. Respondents who assigned dispositional attribution to an offender were more likely to be pro-death penalty than respondents who assigned situational attribution. Those who assigned dispositional attribution and were also very religious were more likely to support the death penalty than respondents who assigned dispositional attribution and were not religious. Suggestions are offered for future research in this area. 4 tables, 12 notes, 53 references, and appended focus group findings