Predicting Israeli Public Support for Capital Punishment: Crime Type and Severity, Offender, Observer, and Victim Characteristics

Abstract

This study investigates whether crime type and severity, as well as offender, observer, and victim characteristics predict public attitudes towards capital punishment in Israel. We surveyed Israeli citizens by phone. A random and representative sample of 594 participants, ages 20 to 74, read scenarios illustrating crimes and were asked about their perception of capital punishment as an appropriate punishment. The results indicate that most participants did not support capital punishment. Perceived high-crime severity, a crime that constitutes terrorism, and male observer (participant) status predicted 34% in an increased likelihood of supporting capital punishment. The discussion attributes the stronger support of capital punishment in cases of terrorism to the Israeli experience of chronic terrorism and explains gender differences by gender-role socialization.

Differences in attitudes toward terrorists: Type of terrorist act, terrorist ethnicity, and observer gender and cultural background

“…Such a methodological design identifies factors that people consider more significant regarding their attitudes (Levy et al, 2021). We also addressed Levi and Jones’s (Levi & Jones, 1985) criticism of a one-dimensional approach to public attitudes toward offenders that tends to focus on a single aspect (e.g., offender blaming, support for harsh punishments; e.g., Cohen-Louck et al, 2021; Rozmann & Levy, 2019). This study included multiple indicators of attitudes toward terrorists (e.g., perceived severity of a crime, suggested severity of a punishment, and support for governmental investment of resources).…”

“…In general, people tend to assign harsher punishments to offenders of severe crimes such as violent offenses, rape, and murder than to offenders of less severely perceived crimes such as white-collar and victimless crimes (Adriaenssen et al, 2019(Adriaenssen et al, , 2020Einat & Herzog, 2011). People tend to express support for the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder, terrorism, and even sexual abuse (Cohen-Louck et al, 2021;Dierenfeldt et al, 2020;Qi & Oberwittler, 2009). Therefore, we hypothesized that, H1: There is a significant difference in attitudes toward terrorists based on the severity of their acts of terrorism: In cases of more harmful acts (e.g., shooting, killing), the public will express more negative attitudes than regarding less harmful acts (e.g., burning religious institutions, throwing stones at cars).…”

“…Studies on public attitudes toward offenders tend to address various aspects such as support for community correction (Levy et al, 2021), support for capital punishment (Cohen-Louck et al, 2021), and crime severity (Einat & Herzog, 2011; Herzog, 2017). To focus on the multidimensional nature of attitudes toward terrorists, this study adopted Holtfreter et al’s (2008) and Dodge et al’s (2013) conceptualizations of attitudes toward offenders, addressing such aspects as perceived severity of the crime, suggested length of imprisonment, suggested severity of punishment, and support for governmental investment of resources to combat terrorist acts.…”

“…In general, people tend to assign harsher punishments to offenders of severe crimes such as violent offenses, rape, and murder than to offenders of less severely perceived crimes such as white-collar and victimless crimes (Adriaenssen et al, 2019, 2020; Einat & Herzog, 2011). People tend to express support for the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder, terrorism, and even sexual abuse (Cohen-Louck et al, 2021; Dierenfeldt et al, 2020; Qi & Oberwittler, 2009). Therefore, we hypothesized that,…”

Public attitudes toward COVID-19 misbehaviors: Perceived seriousness of the misbehavior and perceived severity of the appropriate punishment

“…Also, public support for harsher punishments is higher regarding violent offenses such as murder and rape than white-collar and victimless crimes (e.g., Einat and Herzog, 2011 ; Adriaenssen et al, 2020 ; Levy and Cohen-Louck, 2021 ). Furthermore, public support for capital punishment is higher in murder, terrorism, and sexual abuse cases than in other offenses (e.g., Qi and Oberwittler, 2009 ; Cohen-Louck et al, 2021 ; Dierenfeldt et al, 2021 ). As for perceived crime severity and harmfulness, attitudes tend to be more negative in crimes rated as more severe ( Levy et al, 2020 ; Cohen-Louck et al, 2021 ) and involving physical harm than psychological or financial harm ( Levy et al, 2020 , e.g., Herzog, 2008 ; Levy and Kerschke-Risch, 2020 ; Levy and Rozmann, 2021 ).…”