A Comparison of Death Penalty Opinion Among University Students in the United States and Taiwan(superscript *∞)

美國與臺灣大學學生對死刑態度的比較

John D. Hewitt ； Adam Regoli ； Robert M. Regoli ； Peter Iadicola

《犯罪與刑事司法研究》 3期 (2004/09) Pp. 72-102

https://doi.org/10.29861/CCJI.200409.0003

摘要

在美國，探討人們對死刑的態度的研究可謂汗牛充棟，但是此類研究在臺灣尚稱稀少。臺灣在一九八0年代與九0年代早期執行死刑的數字急遽竄升，目前卻開始有廢除死刑的倡議，也因而引發激烈地辯論。本文的資料來自美國科羅拉多州丹佛市以及臺北市兩地大學學生樣本，研究者比較兩地樣本對死刑態度以及所持態度背後的理由，據以探究促進或是減緩對死刑支持態度的原因以及對於何種犯罪行爲應該被判處死刑等面向。研究結果發現：臺灣的大學生對死刑的支持成長十分迅速，這個現象不免讓我們質疑政府爲何仍傾向廢除死刑？研究者提出的解釋是：目前政府廢除死刑的政策走向主要受到其外交政策目標影響。

關鍵字

死刑 ； 極刑 ； 臺灣 ； 美國 ； 公眾意見

並列摘要

While American opinion about the death penalty has been extensively studied, there have been remarkably few such studies carried out in Taiwan, a country that saw a dramatic increase in executions during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but that is now debating the possible abolishment of capital punishment. Using data from samples drawn from university students in Denver, Colorado and Taipei, Taiwan, the researchers compared expressed reasons for death penalty attitudes, factors that aggravated and mitigated that support, and opinions regarding who should be sentenced to death. The findings suggest support for the death penalty runs rampant in Taiwan, leading to the puzzling question: Why is Taiwan on the verge of abolishing it? The authors suggest the current government movement in Taiwan to abolish the death penalty is tied to it foreign policy objectives.

並列關鍵字

Death penalty ； Capital punishment ； Taiwan ； US ； public opinion