Executive Summary The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) partnered with the Social Weather Stations, a social research institution, to conduct a research entitled, “National Survey on Public Perceptions about the Death Penalty” in order to determine what lies beneath the perception of Filipinos regarding the death penalty. This research was initiated because pro-death penalty policy makers were citing that Filipinos were in favor of reimposing the death penalty. The survey was based on the iceberg model seeking to provide the reasons why public opinion swings toward favoring the death penalty. One of the main findings of the survey is that a majority (59%) of Filipinos are in favor of the death penalty being re-instated for people who were proven by the courts to have really committed heinous crimes, while 32% are against it. It was also found that if presented options, the survey found only minority support for the death penalty as punishment for serious drug-related crimes, where only around 30% preferred the death penalty. These contrasting findings indicate that the Filipino public’s opinion on the death penalty is not a clear-cut in favor or against a position. The research conducted an indepth analysis of three groups of independent variables – demographic variables, beliefs and attitudes, and alternatives to death penalty – beyond the basic descriptive needs to be undertaken to untangle such layers and complexities, to formulate grounded policy recommendations. The findings are as follows: First, there is a modest support for the death penalty among Filipinos, but if they are provided with prison terms as an alternative punishment other than the death penalty, majority of Filipinos would prefer prison terms over the death penalty. Second, knowledge-based instrumental factors associated with deterrence – feeling of safety and worry of being victimized by crime – rather than the experiential factors, are the strongest predictors of support for the death penalty, whether for its re-instatement or preferred punishment for the drug-related crimes. Third, two symbolic factors emerged as consistent predictors of support for the death penalty – that the death penalty dispenses justice, and that people would follow the law over their religious principles. In terms of the demographic factors, it showed that likelihood of support for the reinstatement of the death penalty was higher in urban areas and among males, and those who are older. Support was lower for the non-college educated, and those in Balance Luzon and/or Visayas, than in Mindanao. TV news media usage has some limited, yet important role as a predictor of support for the death penalty. It emerged as a significant predictor when the instrumental and symbolic factors were added. Internet likewise has some limited effect and was only found to be a significant predictor of support for the death penalty for the crimes of rape and murder under the influence, and importation of illegal drugs. iv