Tough-mindedness and fair play

Abstract

One of the most potentially important factors in determining public and potential jury members’ attitudes toward the death penalty may be personality traits. There have been few recent studies conducted on the relationship between personality traits and attitudes toward the death penalty and these have produced conflicting results. Earlier research has suggested that extroverted people are tough-minded while introverts are more likely to consider mitigating circumstances. This study examines the effects of the five-factor model of personality traits on attitudes toward the death penalty and includes gendered analyses. Results from the study indicated that both extroversion and neuroticism could predict pro-death penalty attitudes, and this effect held across gender groups. Conscientiousness was also associated with pro-death penalty attitudes. Openness to experience and agreeableness were both able to predict less favorable attitudes toward the death penalty. Gendered analyses revealed that among males, openness was a significant predictor of anti-death penalty attitudes, but it was not for females, and the opposite was true of conscientiousness. Suggestions for further research and a discussion of implications of the research are included in the study.