民意支持死刑的態度可改變嗎？

Can public opinion on death penalty be changed?

臺灣是一個嚴刑重罰的社會嗎？這種嚴刑重罰是否近年愈發強烈？2014年的中研院與廢死聯盟的民意調查報告結果，似乎支持這個結論，因為支持死刑的比例高達82%。然而，這種態度不可改變嗎？本文以2014年中研院與臺灣廢死聯盟收集的民意調查資料分析顯示，至少三種因素可以改變人們反對廢死的態度：第一，提供死刑相關知識與訊息，第二，提供各種不同的替代死刑的方案，第三，找到一群心中具有多重與死刑相關衝突價值觀的民眾，因為他們最容易因為環境與條件的改變而轉變心意。 至於改變的比例，第一種比較有限，約5%民眾會因增加訊息，改而支持廢死；第二種非常有效，約47%民眾會因有替代方案，改而支持廢死，尤其終身監禁不得假釋，且需工作賠償被害人的替代方案，更能使得63%民眾改而支持廢死；第三種則更為有效，因為人們對於死刑存廢的看法，經常處於矛盾價值選擇中。大部分的人在選擇對死刑應否廢除時，也常「三心二意」或心意未決，譬如：又支持個人主義，也支持集體主義；同時關心冤案，也擔心縱放；有高被害恐懼，又覺得社區很安全；既認為刑罰應該有矯治效果，也認為要有嚇阻與應報功能。本研究發現心中愈認知到這些矛盾價值的民眾，可改變性愈高。

Is Taiwan a punitive society? Or Taiwan has become more and more towards punitive? A survey conducted by Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty in 2014 showed that 82% of the public supported the death penalty in Taiwan. It seems to support that Taiwan is indeed a punitive society. However, the research question raised by this study is whether or not the strong public support on death penalty can be changed. This present study analyzed the same 2014 survey data and found that it is possible to change the public opinion on death penalty. There are at least three methods to do so. First, 5% of the public would change their attitudes to support abolishment if more information/knowledge is provided. Second, 47% of the public would change their attitudes to support abolishment if alternative punishments are offered. The most effective alternative punishment preferred is the life sentence without parole plus prison work to compensate the victims (63% ). Last, most of the public have an ambiguous attitude to death penalty, for example, they support both individualism and collectivism, concern with both innocent cases and criminals found not-guilty in courts, have higher fear of crime but feel safe in the community, and perceived both rehabilitation and deterrence/retribution as the purposes of punishment. Nevertheless, these people who face the most value conflicts are most likely to change their originally positive attitudes of death penalty to abolishment. This study has demonstrated that the public opinion on death penalty are not as firm or unchangble as the government or society claims.