The execution Tuesday of the Washington, D.C. sniper killer and the unfolding investigation of last week’s murder spree at Fort Hood, Texas have again put the spotlight on the death penalty, one of the most hotly contested issues in the United States for years.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% of Americans favor the death penalty. Twenty-three percent (23%) oppose capital punishment, and 16% are not sure.

But adults are more closely divided when asked if the death penalty helps to deter crime. Forty-seven percent (47%) say executing some convicted criminals is a deterrent, but 40% do not believe this is true. Thirteen percent (13%) aren’t sure.

Among those who favor the death penalty, however, 65% view the punishment as a deterrent. Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who oppose capital punishment disagree.

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Forty-two percent (42%) of all adults say the death penalty should be limited only to those who are convicted of murder. Thirty-four percent (34%) oppose limiting capital punishment to just those who have killed another person. However, nearly one-out-of-four adults (24%) are undecided whether the use of the death penalty should be restricted or not.

Those who support capital punishment are narrowly divided over whether its use should be limited. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of death penalty opponents say it should only be used on those convicted of murder, while 23% disagree and 39% are not sure.

Men are slightly more supportive of the death penalty than women. But while 52% of men see capital punishment as a deterrent to crime, just 42% of women agree. Women are more likely than men to believe use of the death penalty should be limited only to those convicted of murder.

Older Americans favor use of the death penalty more than those who are younger and are also more likely to feel that it helps to deter crime.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of whites are in favor of the death penalty, compared to 45% of African-Americans. But the two are more closely in agreement on the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans and 62% of adults not affiliated with either major political party back continued use of capital punishment. Democrats are more closely divided. Republicans and unaffiliateds also are more likely than Democrats to view the death penalty as a deterrent.

Sixty percent (60%) of voters say last week's shootings at Fort Hood should be investigated by military authorities as a terrorist act.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) said the death penalty verdict for deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was appropriate.

Most Americans (54%) believe the United States is a nation of liberty and justice for all, as the Pledge of Allegiance states, but 40% do not believe this is true.

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