In Defense of the Right to Life: Analyzing Factors Affecting Filipino Opinion About Death Penalty he committed through suffering. The two versions of retribution were tested in the study. Retribution as revenge was measured by the item, “A life that is taken is also paid for by a life”. Retribution as expiation was measured by the item, “Most people in prison are actually guilty of committing the crimes they are in jail for”. For both items, responses ranged from 1=strongly agree to 5=strongly disagree. Responses were recoded, 1=agree, 0= not agree. Gross (1998),53 in a review of Gallup surveys, found that the concern for wrongly convicting an innocent person was one of the widely-cited reason for opposing the death penalty. Indeed, some studies confirmed that the belief that innocent people may be wrongly executed has led to lower support for the death penalty, or decreased support among those who previously supported it (Jiang et al, 2010; Unnever & Cullen 2005, Flanagan & Longmire 1996).54 Opinion on the possibility of wrongful death penalty sentencing was measured as the mean of two items: “If a court wrongfully sentences a person to death, and was executed, the wrongful execution by the court can no longer be corrected,” and “The death penalty can only be imposed if the courts can show with certainty that they will not wrongfully sentence an innocent person.” Responses ranged from 1=strongly agree to 5=strongly disagree. The alpha reliability coefficient for these items is 0.34. The items were reverse coded (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) so that higher values indicate greater wariness of the possibility of wrongful death penalty sentencing. The means were derived to create an index score that ranged from 1 to 5. The index had a mean of 3.6. Finally, the study examined the influence of two additional symbolic factors that were not studied elsewhere. One symbolic factor was the opinion on whether the death penalty dispenses some justice to the victim and/or their families. The survey tested for opinions on the justice system based on the previous survey findings that Filipinos only consider that “justice has been served” if the offenders have been punished accordingly, regardless of the severity of the punishment as long as they are punished. This factor was measured as the mean of three items: “The death penalty repairs the harm done by a criminal to his/her victim,” “Punishing a criminal with death penalty would provide some comfort to the family of the victim who was killed,” and “The death penalty speeds up justice for the victims” Responses ranged from 1=strongly agree to 5=strongly disagree. The alpha reliability coefficient for these items is 0.73. The items were reverse coded (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) and then the means were derived to create an index score that ranged from 1 to 5. Higher values indicate greater belief that the death penalty dispenses justice. The index had a mean of 3.6. Another symbolic factor that was measured is whether respondents would follow their religious principles or the law (or vice-versa). This question was added in the questionnaire to measure the extent to which Filipinos are willing to overlook their religious beliefs if a law that is against their religious beliefs is passed. This is particularly relevant in the Philippines considering that 80% are Catholics, and that the Catholic Church has been very active, if not vocal, in their opposition to policies that are against the Catholic dogma, such as the death penalty. Respondents were asked: “Suppose a law was passed which conflicted with your religious principles and teachings. Would you ... definitely follow the law, probably follow the law, probably follow religion, definitely follow religion?” Responses were recoded, 1=follow the law, 0=follow religion. Samuel Gross, Update: American Public Opinion on the Death Penalty-It’s Getting Personal, 83(1) Cornell L. Rev., 1448–1475 (1998). 54 Jiang, Pilot & Saito (2010), supra note 41; James Unnever & Francis Cullen, Executing the innocent and support for capital punishment: Implications for public policy, 4(1) Criminol. & Public Policy, 3-38 (2005); DENNIS R. LONGMIRE, AMERICANS' ATTITUDES ABOUT THE ULTIMATE WEAPON: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN T. J. FLANAGAN & D. R. LONGMIRE (EDS.), AMERICANS VIEW CRIME AND JUSTICE: A NATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY (1996), at 93–108. 53 11