October 13, 2010 - Connecticut Voters Back Death For Cheshire Killer 4-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Back Death Penalty Than Life Without Parole Word format By a 76 - 18 percent margin, Connecticut voters favor the death penalty for the convicted Cheshire home invasion murderer, compared to their 65 - 23 percent support for the death penalty in general, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Prior to the Cheshire murders, surveys by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe- ack) University showed support for the death penalty in Connecticut hovered at about 60 percent. In today's survey, 12 percent are undecided on the death penalty in general. The measure wins 80 - 12 support from Republicans, 52 - 37 percent support from Democrats and 68 - 18 support from independent voters. Men back the death penalty 69 - 24 percent while women back it 62 - 22 percent. In the specific Cheshire murder case, women back the death penalty 74 - 17 percent while men back it 78 - 19 percent. Only 6 percent of Connecticut voters would base their vote for governor solely on a candidate's position on the death penalty, while 91 percent would "consider other things" before deciding on a candidate. "Similar to what we found in the Michael Ross case, support for the death penalty in a specific case can be higher than support in general. This is because some voters who oppose the death penalty in general support it for a particularly heinous crime," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "Very few voters are making the death penalty the deciding issue in the race for governor," Dr. Schwartz added. Offered a choice of the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole, 46 percent of voters choose the death penalty while 41 percent prefer life in prison. Deciding how to apply the death penalty, Connecticut voter opinions are: 7 percent say all people convicted of murder should be sentenced to death; 14 percent say no one should get the death penalty; 78 percent say the death penalty should depend on the circumstances of the case. "Similar to past polls, the question wording on the death penalty is important. When voters have a choice between the death penalty and life in prison with no chance of parole," support for the death penalty drops significantly," Schwartz said. From October 7 - 11, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,721 Connecticut registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582- 5201, or follow us on Twitter. 14. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favor 65% 80% 52% 68% 69% 62% Oppose 23 12 37 18 24 22 DK/NA 12 8 11 14 7 17 TREND: Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? (* Generally speaking do you favor...) Oct 13 Nov 7 Jan 12 Mar 18 Apr 23 Jun 22 Mar 30 2010 2007 2005 2003 2001 2000 1998* Favor 65 63 59 60 60 63 67 Oppose 23 27 31 34 30 27 26 DK/NA 12 10 10 6 11 10 7 15. If a candidate for governor were to take a stand on the death penalty that was different from your own, would you vote against that candidate on the basis of that issue alone or would you consider other things before deciding who to vote for? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Against on issue 6% 6% 7% 5% 6% 7% Wld consider other things 91 89 90 93 93 89 DK/NA 3 4 3 2 2 4 16. Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder, the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Death penalty 46% 60% 29% 50% 49% 43% Life/No parole 41 26 61 34 36 45 DK/NA 14 14 10 16 15 13 TREND: Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder: the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole? (*Apr,2001 & Jun,2000 question wording - What do you think should be the penalty for murder ...) Oct 13 Nov 7 Jan 12 Mar 18 Apr 23 Jun 22 2010 2007 2005 2003 2001* 2000* Death Penalty 46 47 37 47 42 41 Life/No Parole 41 44 49 46 43 42 DK/NA 14 9 14 7 15 17 17. Which statement comes closest to your point of view? (A) All persons convicted of murder should get the death penalty, (B) No one convicted of murder should get the death penalty, or (C) Whether or not someone convicted of murder gets the death penalty should depend on the circumstances of the case. Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom (A) All 7% 12% 4% 7% 8% 6% (B) No one 14 9 22 9 14 13 (C) Depends 78 78 73 82 76 79 DK/NA 1 2 - 1 1 1 TREND: Which statement comes closest to your point of view? (A) All persons convicted of murder should get the death penalty. (B) No one convicted of murder should get the death penalty. (C) Whether or not someone convicted of murder gets the death penalty should depend on the circumstances of the case. Oct 13 Jan 12 Apr 23 Jun 22 2010 2005 2001 2000 (A) All 7 6 8 9 (B) No one 14 20 15 16 (C) Depends 78 73 76 73 DK/NA 1 2 1 2 18. Have you heard or read anything about the Cheshire home invasion murders where a mother and her two daughters were killed in July 2007? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 98% 97% 98% 98% 98% 98% No 2 2 2 1 1 2 DK/NA 1 - - 1 1 - TREND: Have you heard or read anything about the Cheshire home invasion murders where a mother and her two daughters were killed in July 2007? Oct 13 Nov 07 2010 2007 Yes 98 98 No 2 2 DK/NA 1 1 19. Steven Hayes was found guilty of these murders. Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for Steven Hayes? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favor 76% 84% 65% 81% 78% 74% Oppose 18 11 29 14 19 17 DK/NA 6 5 6 5 3 9
