UJC Utah Justice CoalitionCriminal Justice Reform
Current Project · February 9, 2017

New Poll: Utah Moving Away From the Death Penalty

A new poll reflects America’s ongoing shift away from capital punishment — and shows changing attitudes among Utah residents.

For Immediate Release

64% of Utahns polled favor alternatives to the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

The survey of 784 Utah voters by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, North Carolina took place January 13–15. Respondents were asked: “Of the following list of choices, which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder?”

Life without parole, work & victim restitution 47%
The death penalty 29%
Life without parole 9%
Life with possible parole after 40 years 8%
Not sure 6%

Source: Public Policy Polling, n=784 registered Utah voters, January 13–15, 2017.

“By giving people the full array of alternatives to the death penalty, this poll was able to find out how people in Utah really feel,” said Kevin Greene, Organizing Director of Utah Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a project of the Utah Justice Coalition. “The death penalty is losing favor in our state because it wastes tax dollars, is ineffective in stopping violent crime, and risks possibly killing an innocent person — and none of those things align with our conservative principles.”

PDF View the full poll results Public Policy Polling · February 2017