In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,008 American adults, 78 per cent of respondents (+8 since September 2011 ) support the possibility of prosecutors relying on the death penalty for murder cases in the United States.

The poll was conducted after the Boston Marathon bombings and concluded before the massive manhunt that resulted in the arrest of one of the suspects.

Respondents in the South (80%) and West (79%) are more likely to endorse capital punishment, along with supporters of the Republican Party (86%). . . .

I know that this survey release says that support for the death penalty is at 78 percent, but if I add together the 64 percent who say that it is "sometimes" appropriate and the 22 percent who say that it is "always" appropriate, that comes to 86 percent. From Angus Reid Public Opinion: