WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. public remains split on the use of torture in questioning suspected terrorists, a poll released Friday indicates.
The survey by the Pew Research Center found that 15 percent of respondents said torture can often be justified while 34 percent say it is sometimes justified, for a total of 49 percent. Another 22 percent said torture is rarely justifiable and 25 percent said it should never be used.
The research center said there were few demographic differences on torture, including gender, education level and income. One third of those over 65 said torture is never justifiable, compared to 23 percent of those under 65 who said torture is never justifiable.
While 38 percent of Democrats and 14 percent of Republicans said torture is never justifiable, 49 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of Democrats said it is sometimes justifiable.
Princeton Survey Research Associates interviewed 1,132 people on landline telephones and 375 on cell phones between April 14 and April 21.
