Predicting Israeli Public Support for Capital Punishment: Crime Type and Severity, Offender, Observer, and Victim Characteristics

2021 ◽  
pp. 001112872110298
Author(s):  
Keren Cohen-Louck ◽  
Inna Levy ◽  
Sergio Herzog
Keyword(s):  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Gender Role Socialization ◽  
Crime Severity ◽  
Role Socialization ◽  
Crime Type ◽  
Male Observer ◽  
High Crime ◽  
Israeli Experience

This study investigates whether crime type and severity, as well as offender, observer, and victim characteristics predict public attitudes towards capital punishment in Israel. We surveyed Israeli citizens by phone. A random and representative sample of 594 participants, ages 20 to 74, read scenarios illustrating crimes and were asked about their perception of capital punishment as an appropriate punishment. The results indicate that most participants did not support capital punishment. Perceived high-crime severity, a crime that constitutes terrorism, and male observer (participant) status predicted 34% in an increased likelihood of supporting capital punishment. The discussion attributes the stronger support of capital punishment in cases of terrorism to the Israeli experience of chronic terrorism and explains gender differences by gender-role socialization.

Public Support for the Death Penalty in China: Less from the Populace but More from Elites

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
John Zhuang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Death Penalty ◽  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Criminal Offenders ◽  
Support Rate ◽  
National Representative Sample

Abstract This article is the first to report the nationwide public support rate for the death penalty in China. Using a national representative sample with 31,664 respondents, it shows that 68 per cent of China's citizens are for the death penalty, while 31 per cent are opposed to it. These numbers suggest that support for capital punishment in China, although strong, is much weaker than in some other East Asian jurisdictions and less than first assumed by commentators. However, contrary to previous notions that public support for the death penalty derives from uninformed popular prejudice, it is the elites in China – i.e. those who receive higher education – who are more in favour of the death penalty. Further empirical analyses suggest that this is not because of political ideology or fear of crime. Rather, the reason is likely that the elites know fewer, and sympathize less with, criminal offenders, who generally come from underprivileged groups. These findings challenge a range of prevailing perceptions of public attitudes to the death penalty in China, especially the culture explanation for the Chinese public's punitiveness, and have important policy implications.

Acculturation and Capital Punishment: The Effect of Mexico Versus United States Cultural Orientations on Public Support for the Death Penalty

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1220-1241
Author(s):  
Alexander H. Updegrove
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Death Penalty ◽  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mexican Culture

Few studies have explored how the intersection of vastly different cultures, like those of the United States and Mexico, influences death penalty support. The present study uses the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II to examine whether individuals who are more closely aligned with U.S. culture are more likely to support the death penalty than individuals more closely aligned with Mexican culture. Findings support this conclusion. Findings also reveal that the significance of predictors for death penalty support varies between Mexican- and U.S.-oriented subsamples. Thus, this study reaffirms the importance for researchers to consider cultural context when examining public attitudes toward the death penalty, especially when using samples from a single, multicultural country such as the United States.

scholarly journals Predicting support for community corrections: Crime type and severity, and offender, observer, and victim characteristics

2021 ◽  
pp. 146247452198980
Author(s):  
Inna Levy ◽  
Keren Cohen-Louck ◽  
Sergio Herzog
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Community Corrections ◽  
Community Correction ◽  
Crime Severity ◽  
Crime Type ◽  
Crime Scenarios

The aim of the current research was to examine the contribution of crime type and severity as well as offender, observer, and victim characteristics to prediction of perception of community correction (CC) as an appropriate punishment. We conducted a telephone survey among Israeli citizens. A random and representative sample of 573 respondents, aged 20 to 74, evaluated the seriousness of crime scenarios and the appropriateness of CC for each scenario. In different versions of crime scenarios, we manipulated offence type as well as offender and victim characteristics. The results of a logistic regression indicate that perceived lower crime severity, a crime that is not murder, older offender age, and being a secular observer are related with an increased likelihood of supporting community corrections. The discussion addresses these findings in the context of punitive goals (e.g., revenge, retribution), public perception of offender dangerousness, and social identity theory.

Public Opinion and the U.S. Supreme Court: FDR's Court-packing Plan

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 1139-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Caldeira
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Gallup Poll ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Historical Episode ◽  
The Mass Media

I show the intimate connection between the actions of the justices and support for the Supreme Court during one of the most critical periods of U.S. political history, the four months of 1937 during which Franklin D. Roosevelt sought legislation to “pack” the high bench with friendly personnel. Over the period from 3 February through 10 June 1937, the Gallup Poll queried national samples on 18 separate occasions about FDR's plan. These observations constitute the core of my analyses. I demonstrate the crucial influence of judicial behavior and the mass media in shaping public opinion toward the Supreme Court. This research illuminates the dynamics of public support for the justices, contributes to a clearer understanding of an important historical episode, shows the considerable impact of the mass media on public attitudes toward the Court, and adds more evidence on the role of political events in the making of public opinion.

Reality Asserts Itself: Public Opinion on Iraq and the Elasticity of Reality

2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Baum ◽  
Tim Groeling
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustained Change ◽  
Disaggregated Data ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
Over Time

AbstractPrevailing theories hold that U.S. public support for a war depends primarily on its degree of success, U.S. casualties, or conflict goals. Yet, research into the framing of foreign policy shows that public perceptions concerning each of these factors are often endogenous and malleable by elites. In this article, we argue that both elite rhetoric and the situation on the ground in the conflict affect public opinion, but the qualities that make such information persuasive vary over time and with circumstances. Early in a conflict, elites (especially the president) have an informational advantage that renders public perceptions of “reality” very elastic. As events unfold and as the public gathers more information, this elasticity recedes, allowing alternative frames to challenge the administration's preferred frame. We predict that over time the marginal impact of elite rhetoric and reality will decrease, although a sustained change in events may eventually restore their influence. We test our argument through a content analysis of news coverage of the Iraq war from 2003 through 2007, an original survey of public attitudes regarding Iraq, and partially disaggregated data from more than 200 surveys of public opinion on the war.

scholarly journals The Punitive Woman? Gender Differences in Public Attitudes Toward Parole Among an Australian Sample

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3006-3022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Offender Rehabilitation ◽  
Neutral Position ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Australian Sample

Research exploring gender differences in public attitudes toward parole is limited, despite a large body of literature showing that men and women have diverging views on other criminal justice issues, including capital punishment and offender rehabilitation and treatment. Drawing on an Australian national survey of community views on parole, the current study examines whether men and women differ in their support for the release of prisoners on parole. The results indicate that gender does predict parole attitudes, with Australian women significantly more likely to hold nonsupportive views on parole than Australian men. The results also reveal that women are more likely to take a neutral position toward parole, rather than supporting it. Together, these findings indicate there may be something about being a woman in Australia that prevents one from being willing to support the early release of prisoners. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Correlates of Public Attitudes toward the Umbrella Movement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Hok-Wui Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Political Order ◽  
Public Opinion Survey ◽  
The Rule Of Law

From the start, the Umbrella Movement failed to win overwhelming public support. Why would many Hong Kong people not endorse a civil disobedience movement aimed at dismantling the exclusionary political order and bringing forth democracy? Based on an original public opinion survey collected during the movement, this article provides preliminary answers to these questions. I find that those who disapproved of the movement are no less politically informed. Instead, three factors were strong predictors of disapproval of the movement: (1) satisfaction with the performance of the chief executive; (2) distrust of democracy as a solution to Hong Kong’s problems; and (3) concern about the negative impact of the protest on the rule of law.

Developing a Gender Role Socialization Scale

2012 ◽  
pp. 189-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Toner ◽  
Taryn Tang ◽  
Alisha Ali ◽  
Donna Akman ◽  
Noreen Stuckless ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Gender Role Socialization ◽  
Role Socialization
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