Author(s)

Kennedy Tatro, Jeffrey R. Oliver^*

Department of Sociology and Social Work, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Rexburg, ID, USA.

The relationship between public opinion and the death penalty has been explored in depth, but understanding the causal relationships in the death penalty opinion-policy nexus has been limited by adherence to cross-sectional studies. This study explores the causal direction between public opinion and various death penalty legislative actions and consequences (sentencing outcomes, standing legislation, and new/provisional legislative acts) using Granger-causal testing. The results of the tests suggest that public opinion is influenced by legislative acts more than it influences them. These findings support the idea that policy tends to drive public punitiveness rather than the other way around. Recommendations for future research include conducting additional temporal causal tests with larger datasets, with a focus on electoral accountability, and with a wider set of socio-economic variables.

Public Opinion, Death Penalty, Electoral Accountability, Capital Punishment, Causal Relationships, Granger Tests, Legislative Actions

Tatro, K. and Oliver, J. (2023) Exploring Causality between Public Opinion and the Death Penalty Using Granger Testing. Advances in Applied Sociology, 13, 441-456. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2023.136027.