In the Death Penalty Study, researchers examined 15 opinions about the death penalty. Using advanced statistics, researchers identified three 'clusters' of opinions that make up three distinct belief systems about the death penalty.

The first belief system consists of opinions that see capital punishment as both just and moral. The numbers in the chart show how 'close' each opinion is to the core belief. The higher the number, the better that opinion measures that core belief.

People who agree with any opinion in this belief system are likely to agree with the other 6. Likewise, people who disagree with one are likely to disagree with the other opinions. We can examine opinions that 'orbit' the 'star' (belief system). We can see which opinions are 'close' to the belief system and which are not so close. With a top score of 70, the 'best' single measure (closest to the belief system) states that the 'death penalty is only just punishment for murder.' Scores range from 0 (doesn't measure this belief system at all) to 100 (a perfect measure of this belief system). 

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