An Examination of Death Penalty Views of Nigerian and U.S. College Students: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The focus of this study is the examination of the views of Nigerian and U.S. college students regarding the death penalty and related issues. This exploratory undertaking seeks to answer three main questions. First, are there differences in the level of support of the death penalty between Nigerian and U.S. college students. The second objective of the study is to understand the reasons that the students provided for either supporting or opposing the death penalty. The third objective of this study is to account for the variance of support or opposition of the death penalty. The research findings show both similarities and differences in views regarding the death penalty between Nigerian and United States college students which we attribute to the differences between the social structure and culture of the two societies.