Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes public opinions on capital punishment across three key dimensions. First, I analyze national perceptions of capital punishment, with a particular focus on the relationship between the public’s opinion on capital punishment and individual perceptions of racism. Second, through a self-administered survey, I will analyze individuals' willingness to support capital punishment by examining how it intersects with racism. This is done by presenting vignettes that vary the offender’s race and the type of evidence, allowing for a detailed investigation of how racial bias and perceptions of evidence influence support for the death penalty. Third, I will examine public attitudes in states that have passed anti-capital punishment legislation, specifically focusing on those that have abolished the practice. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of legislation changes on individual perspectives on capital punishment. Collectively, results indicate that support for the death penalty is significantly associated with racial attitudes, especially the denial of slavery’s ongoing impacts on Black American’s today, as well as explicit race cues regarding the offender. Furthermore, state-level analysis reveals that legal abolition of capital punishment contributes to a long-term decline in public support.

Date

5-17-2026

Committee Chair

O'Connell, Heather

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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Available for download on Friday, December 31, 2027

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