Most U.S. adults oppose televising or streaming executions even though a majority favors the death penalty, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found ahead of a planned firing-squad execution.
The survey found 71% considered it inappropriate to show an execution to the public on television or online. Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans held that view. Asked separately about former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, 46% said executing him by firing squad was appropriate, including 29% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans.
On the death penalty more broadly, 55% expressed support, while 31% opposed it and 13% did not know or did not answer. Reuters put support at 63% in a 2017 Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The survey also asked what should happen after an execution attempt fails. In findings on repeat execution attempts, 39% favored life imprisonment for the prisoner, 33% supported another attempt and 26% were unsure.
That question followed Tennessee's failed lethal injection of Christa Pike in September. Reuters reported that Pike, 50, regained consciousness five days after the attempted execution.
Ipsos surveyed 1,679 U.S. adults online nationwide from Oct. 16-19. It reported a margin of error of two percentage points for adults. The questions about capital punishment, public broadcasts and repeat attempts measured different views of how the state uses the death penalty.
Reuters reported that states retaining capital punishment have had difficulty obtaining execution drugs, prompting consideration of other methods, including firing squads. Alabama executed Kenneth Smith using nitrogen gas in 2024 after officials failed to establish intravenous lines during an attempt in 2022.
Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raised the possibility of livestreaming his execution, but President Donald Trump canceled the broadcast plan after criticism that included Republican lawmakers, Reuters reported. Officials still intend to carry out Hasan's execution Dec. 3.
