Support for the death penalty is at an all-time low. Britain effectively abolished it in 1965, despite a Gallup poll at the time finding that more than two-thirds of the population still supported it. In 2015, though, nationwide approval fell below 50% for the first time.
That decline is mirrored in the US. The death penalty is retained by 31 American states, but popular support has fallen to around 50% – its lowest level since 1972 - with young people in particular less likely to support it.
Hanging was the most common form of capital punishment in the US until the 1890s. Then, the electric chair became the most widespread method. In 1982, the first execution by lethal injection was carried out by the state of Texas, after which it gradually replaced the electric chair across the nation.
Today, other methods are very rarely used. Only Utah occasionally executes individuals by firing squad – the last time was in 2010.
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