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The Death Penalty in Japan


While information gain and its interpretation are beyond the scope of this survey, an association between the level of previously acquired knowledge and death penalty attitudes is clear. Te distribution of death penalty attitudes for those defined as informed (scoring between seven and 17 in the total knowledge scale) and uninformed (scoring between 18 and 28) was statistically significant at p<.01 level (see Table 2).95


Respondents who were abolitionists tended to be better informed (49%)


than retentionists (27%) – a difference that was large and statistically significant (two-proportion Z-test at .01 level, Z=3.974). Tose participants who were informed were also more likely to have a firm opinion – whether believing in retention or abolition – than to select “cannot say”.


Table 2: Knowledge score by death penalty attitudes


‘Should definitely be kept’ & ‘Should probably be kept’


Informed Total 35%


Uninformed 36% 192


‘Cannot say’


16% 37% 180


‘Should definitely be abolished’ & ‘Should probably be abolished’


49% 27% 163


Notes: 1) “Informed” had total knowledge scores between seven and 17 2) “Uninformed” had total knowledge scores between 18 and 28


Findings from the third survey


In both pre- and post-surveys, respondents were asked to state their position on the death penalty using the same five-point scale question featured throughout this chapter. When focusing on the changes in attitudes (defined as the selection of different options in pre- and post-surveys96


), 30 out


of a total of 50 participants did not change attitudes. Te remaining 20 participants moved in one or other direction, 11 towards abolition and nine towards retention.


Table 3: Changes in opinion between pre- and post-survey


Post- survey


Pre- survey


Definitely keep


Definitely keep 8 Probably keep 5 0


Cannot say


Probably abolish


Definitely abolish


Total


For example, participants who changed their opinion from “should definitely be kept” to “should probably be kept”, and from “should probably be kept” to “should probably be abolished”, are both considered to have changed their attitude


95 96


48 0 0 13 Pearson’s Chi-Square t(2)=21.559, N=535, p<.01


Probably keep


2 8 1


2 0 13


Cannot say


0 5 9


2 0 16


Probably abolish


0 2 0


4


1 7


Definitely abolish


0 0 0


0 1 50 Total


10 20 10


8 2 50 Total


88 (100%) 447 (100%) 535


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