Using quotas, the age of people in the sample was matched to age characteristics of U.S. residents from the U.S. Census Bureau. That's because older people tend to favor the death penalty more than do younger people. The average age of people in the Death Penalty Study was 50.7 years. The median age—the midpoint that splits the older 50% from the younger 50%—was 52.0. About 31% were under 40; about 46% were under 50. The youngest were 18 years old; the oldest were 90+.

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