Almost half of British students back return of death penalty, bombshell survey finds

Almost half of British students back return of death penalty, bombshell survey has found.

A new poll examining the political opinions of undergraduates aged 18 to 21 has revealed 47 per cent of young people were in favour of reintroducing the death penalty, while 46 per cent opposed it for any crimes.

This result places the 1,018 students almost exactly in line with the wider public, among those whom 50 per cent support capital punishment and 45 per cent oppose it.

The death penalty for murder was abolished in the end of 1969.

Peter Anthony Allen and Gwynne Owen Evans were the last two men to be executed in Britain, being put to death by hanging in August 1964,

The death sentence is still legal in 27 of 50 US states, but 11 are "abolitionist in practice" - meaning they have not conducted an execution in over a decade.

Students also hold divided opinions on Hamas and the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

More than a quarter (28 per cent) of student felt the October 7 attacks were "defensible", while 34 per cent said they were "indefensible".

Another 37 per cent said they were unsure of the issue.

But previously polling of the wider public has revealed only a small minority regarded the attacks as justified.

Students were more critical of the Israeli military response, with half describing the country's actions as "indefensible" and only 18 per cent said the opposite.

These numbers are closer to wider public opinion, as 45 per cent of adults previously said Israel's response was not justified.

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Students were strongly united in favour of unilateral nuclear disarmament by the UK, with 72 per cent in favour, compared to just 11 per cent of adults.

The survey found six in ten students supported a wealth tax.

Fewer than half of students who intended to vote Conservative of Reform UK support a wealth tax, but the majority of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, SNP and Plaid Cymru supporters favoured the economic proposal.

Young people were generally more liberal than the public on social issues, as one third supported transgender people using changing facilities corresponding to their gender identity,

And nearly half (47 per cent) of undergraduates were in favour of historical reparations for the slave trade, compared with just 24 per cent of adults nationally.

Nick Hillman, Hepi’s chief executive and author of the report, said: “We decided to ask students for their views on a range of issues because of the idea that a ‘culture war’ has taken root and because universities and those who oversee them have been wrestling with new rules on free speech … on a small number of issues, students’ opinions are strikingly different.

"They are more sympathetic to the proscribed terrorist group Hamas, more supportive of reparations for the slave trade and more in favour of unilateral nuclear disarmament.

"Comparing the views of students with those of all adults is revealing because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders."

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