Old age rational suicide
A poll of UK adults
7 July 2010
The vast majority agree that assisted suicide should be
legal, particularly in the event of terminal illness
A mentally competent adult should be legally allowed to receive a doctor’s assistance to die in the event of...
78% agree
Terminal illness
54%
24%
10% 5% 8%
67% agree
Old age
Strongly agree
40%
Tend to agree
27%
Neither/ DK
Tend to disagree
13%
8% 11%
Strongly disagree
Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following two statements?
A mentally competent adult should be legally allowed to receive a doctor's assistance to die if...
... They are suffering unbearably from a terminal illness they are expected to die from within six months
... They are very elderly and suffering unbearably from a variety of serious health problems that they will not die from, if this is their persistent
request
Base: All adults (1009)
2
Support for legal assistance to die in the event of terminal
illness is stronger among the 25-64 year olds
3
All
54%
18-24
46%
25-34
46%
40%
29%
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
24%
63%
16%
60%
20%
58%
20%
51%
Male
55%
Female
54%
Strongly agree
22%
25%
22%
Tend to agree
Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following two statements?
A mentally competent adult should be legally allowed to receive a doctor's assistance to die if...
... They are suffering unbearably from a terminal illness they are expected to die from within six months
Base: All adults (1009)
Support for legal assistance to die in the event of old age when
someone is suffering unbearably, has stronger support among the 45-54
year olds
4
All
18-24
40%
36%
25-34
38%
35-44
39%
45-54
27%
40%
24%
26%
47%
55-64
41%
65+
40%
Male
41%
Female
40%
Strongly agree
26%
25%
24%
28%
25%
Tend to agree
Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following two statements?
A mentally competent adult should be legally allowed to receive a doctor's assistance to die if...
... They are very elderly and suffering unbearably from a variety of serious health problems that they will not die from, if this is their persistent
request Base: All adults (1009)
Technical note
5
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A total of 1,009 interviews were completed between 2-4 July 2010 with UK adults
aged 18+.
Interviews were conducted by telephone and the data was collected by ICM
Omnibus.
Quotas were set by age, gender and region then weighted to achieve a nationally
representative sample of UK adults based on the National Readership Survey. Data
was further weighted to the national profile using housing tenure, working status,
holidays taken and car ownership in addition to the quota variables.
This report is accompanied by data tables.
The research was commissioned by the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide:
www.soars.org.uk
Any reporting of poll findings needs to include the details of this technical note and
credit Kindle Research and the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide.