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Comment by rmk2 | Hacker News Reader

I would love to see some reliable statistics that prove support even anywhere near 50% in major European countries for a reintroduction of the death penalty, especially since your remark about "popular opinion" seems to suggest widespread public support for the death penalty that is subsequently ignored by politicians.

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> I would love to see some reliable statistics that prove support even anywhere near 50% in major European countries for a reintroduction of the death penalty

The UK public until very recently had decisive majority support for the reintroduction of the death penalty. Last year the NatCen British Social Attitudes Report found 48% of the 2,878 people it surveyed were in favour of capital punishment. This is the lowest figure since the survey began in 1983, when around 75% of people were in favour. Capital punishment for murder was abolished in Great Britain in 1965.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32061822

Thank you for the link. I guess I should never count out the Brits when it comes to these things! ;) The last reliable thing I found for Germany was an article that cited a rise to 25% after something or other in 2014, which is why I didn't quite expect those numbers. But in these days...

This isn't unique to the UK.

Germany: http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article134799279/

USA: http://www.people-press.org/2015/04/16/less-support-for-deat...

It kind of is, though? The US don't count, they have the death penalty and are not a European country, but the UK, just like basically all other European countries (not just EU countries) excluding Belarus & Kazakhstan are members of the Council of Europe, where membership requires abolishing the death penalty. Also, the article for Germany showed, as I said, a rise to 25%, which is really rather far from anything approaching a majority, while the BBC article talked about a decline to 50%. So there is quite a difference.

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