Citation

Kandola SS, Egan V. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2014; 66: 48-53.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2014.03.005

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There are strongly-held arguments regarding attitudes to the death penalty on both sides of the debate. The current study examines how underlying individual differences in personality, expressed morality, prior victimhood, attitudes to abortion, and gender predict attitudes to the death penalty. An online questionnaire design was used, comprising a measure of personality (the IPIP-50), a measure of socio-moral attitudes, a measure assessing attitudes to abortion, and as an outcome, the death penalty attitude scale. High Extraversion and Conscientiousness, low Openness and Emotional Stability, and lower pro-abortion attitudes all significantly predicted support for the use of the death penalty. In a multivariate analysis all constructs bar Emotional Stability remained independent predictors of support for the death penalty. Males were more in support of the death penalty and more retributive and revenge-orientated in their rationale for such support. These findings reinforce previous research surrounding individual influences on attitudes to the death penalty and indicate personality factors shaping right-wing authoritarianism as key influences on the construct, rather than a priori higher level measures of morality, gender or victimhood.