By Niraj Chokshi | The New York Times
For the first time in almost half a century, support for the death penalty has dipped below 50 percent in the United States.
Just 49 percent of Americans say they support capital punishment, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted from late August to early September. That represents a seven-point decline in about a year and a half. Support peaked at 80 percent in 1994.