Gender Gap in Support for Capital Punishment: A Test of Attribution Theory

• NCJ Number: 236397
• Journal: Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: July-September 2011 Pages: 171-197
• Author(s): Denise Paquette Boots; John K. Cochran
• Date Published: July 2011
• Length: 27 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored the gender gap in support of the death penalty.

Abstract

Studies of public support for capital punishment have consistently observed a strong and enduring gender gap in the level of death penalty support, with males consistently more inclined than females to support capital punishment. This unexplained relationship has endured over time and space as well as across a myriad of research designs. The present study uses attribution theory in a factorial survey design to account for this relationship. Analyses of data obtained from jurors provide mixed support for attribution theory yet fails to bridge the gender gap in death penalty support. The implications of these findings as they relate to gender, socialization, and attributions are discussed. (Published Abstract)