Death penalty supported by shrinking majority

While the majority of American adults support the death penalty, support for it has seen a significant decline since Nov. 2011, according to Pew Research.

The latest numbers from Pew show that 55 percent of adults are in favor of the death penalty, while 37 percent oppose it. In Nov. 2011, 62 percent of American adults supported it.

While data shows death penalty views have changed over the years, in addition to the methods used for executions, the support for capital punishment has been on the gradual decline for the past two decades.

Republicans are far more likey to support the death penalty (71 percent) compared to Democrats (45 percent).

Here’s an interesting glance at every execution in the United States since 1977.

In short, don’t mess with Texas.

You can also view this map in an interactive timeline from Pew.