This slideshare presentation describes the results of an experiment that uses an online survey to find the association between agreeing with certain misconceptions about capital punishment and support for its use in the US today. Respondents were asked to report how much they opposed or supported the death penalty and how much they agreed or disagreed with certain misconceptions which were presented as facts. Results show that every stated misconception predicts support for capital punishment, with the statements “The death penalty serves as an effective deterrent to potential violent criminals” and “The death penalty is more cost efficient than a life sentence” predicting the greatest support. As both these statements are false, this study concludes that many who support the death penalty are influenced by false information. The survey also asks participants to view a passage that claims to be from the New York Times and opposes their expressed attitude towards capital punishment; respondents were then asked how the passage changed their opinion. Over one third of respondents changed their stance on a misconception after reading the passage. This change indicates that there is a strong media influence on participants and that participants are willing to change their minds when reading information they believe is credible.