Among Hispanic Catholics, there is slightly more support for the death penalty for murder convicts. In this subgroup, 30% “somewhat” support the death penalty in such cases, and 31% “strongly” support it.
Regarding the question of moral justification for the death penalty, a majority of Catholics believe it is justified in cases of murder convictions.
Among Catholics overall, 60% say capital punishment is morally justified “when someone commits a crime like murder”; among Hispanic Catholics, that number is 62%. Only 30% of Catholics believe the death penalty is morally wrong, including 35% of Hispanic Catholics.
Among religious subgroups, white evangelical and non-evangelical Protestants are most likely to believe the death penalty is morally justified in cases such as murder. More than three-quarters, 77%, of white evangelical Protestants believe this, and 76% of white non-evangelical Protestants.
Nearly two-thirds of those professing no religion “in particular,” 66%, also said that capital punishment is justified in such instances.
Language in the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the use of the death penalty was updated in 2018, calling it “inadmissible.”
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