1. Old
age
ra)onal
suicide
A
na)onal
poll
of
UK
adults
12
March
2013

2. The
vast
majority
agree
that
assisted
suicide
should
be
legal,
parKcularly
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...
2
78%
agree
Terminal
illness
60%
18%
7%
4%
8%
4%
70%
agree
Elderly
health
problems
50%
20%
9%
7%
11%
4%
Strongly
agree
Tend
to
agree
Neither
Tend
to
disagree
Strongly
disagree
Don't
know
Q
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
(1002),
ICM
Telephone
Omnibus
fieldwork
8-­‐10
March
2013

3. There
has
been
no
staKsKcally
significant
change
in
overall
agreement
since
July
2010…
Total
who
‘strongly’
or
‘tend
to’
agree
that
a
mentally
competent
adult
should
be
legally
allowed
to
receive
3
a
doctor’s
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of...
80%
78%
76%
78%
70%
67%
66%
60%
40%
20%
Terminal
illness
Elderly
with
health
problems
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,
ICM
Telephone
Omnibus
(July
2010:
1009/
March
2011:
1008/
March
2013:
1002)

4. …but
more
now
‘strongly’
agree
with
legal
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of
both
terminal
illness
and
elderly
with
health
problems
Total
who
‘strongly’
agree
that
a
mentally
competent
adult
should
be
legally
allowed
to
receive
a
doctor’s
4
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of...
80%
60%
60%
54%
54%
50%
40%
40%
41%
20%
Terminal
illness
Elderly
with
health
problems
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,
ICM
Telephone
Omnibus
(July
2010:
1009/
March
2011:
1008/
March
2013:
1002)

5. Looking
at
differences
by
age
and
educaKon:
%s
that
‘strongly
agree’
with
each
statement
5
Terminal
illness
Elderly
with
health
problems
2010
2011
2013
2010
2011
2013
18-­‐34
46
55
58
37
38
49
35-­‐44
63
60
60
39
43
47
Age
45-­‐64
59
52
63
45
41
53
65+
51
51
57
40
43
51
Secondary
56
56
65
43
41
55
EducaKon
University
53
52
53
38
41
41
Higher
47
51
55
26
37
51
All
54
54
60
40
41
50
With
respect
to
differences
in
age:
• Support
is
strongest
for
legal
assistance
in
the
event
of
terminal
illness
among
the
35-­‐64
year
olds
but
the
18-­‐34
year
olds
drove
the
early
growth
in
support,
the
35-­‐64
year
olds,
the
more
recent
growth
in
support
• Support
in
the
event
of
health
problems
tends
to
be
stronger
among
the
over
45s
but
support
is
growing
among
all
ages
(and
especially
the
18-­‐24
year
olds)
With
respect
to
differences
in
educa)on:
• Support
among
those
in
university
educaKon
has
remained
stable
while
support
among
those
who
just
have
secondary
educaKon
has
grown
somewhat
in
the
last
2
years
• There
is
a
very
strong
growth
in
support
for
legal
assistance
in
the
event
of
health
problems
among
those
with
postgraduate
educaKon
Base
sizes
for
each
group
are
between
103
and
499

6. Technical
note
(telephone
research)
6
• A
total
of
1,002
interviews
were
completed
between
8-­‐10
March
2013
with
UK
adults
aged
18+
(1008
on
4-­‐6
March
2011
and
1,009
on
2-­‐4
July
2010)
• Interviews
were
conducted
by
telephone
and
the
data
was
collected
by
ICM
Omnibus
• Quotas
were
set
by
age,
gender
and
working
status
then
weighted
to
achieve
a
representaKve
sample
of
UK
adults
• This
report
is
accompanied
by
data
tables
• The
research
was
commissioned
by
the
Society
for
Old
Age
RaKonal
Suicide
• Any
reporKng
of
poll
findings
needs
to
include
the
details
of
this
technical
note
and
credit
Kindle
Research
and
the
Society
for
Old
Age
RaKonal
Suicide

7. Fewer
agree
when
a
similar
sample
is
asked
the
same
quesKons
online,
especially
among
those
who
‘strongly’
agree
A
mentally
competent
adult
should
be
legally
allowed
to
receive
a
doctor’s
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of...
7
71%
agree
Terminal
illness
44%
28%
10%
4%
5%
6%
60%
agree
Elderly
health
problems
32%
28%
16%
7%
7%
11%
Strongly
agree
Tend
to
agree
Neither
Tend
to
disagree
Strongly
disagree
Don't
know
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,
ICM
Online
Omnibus
(2,000)

8. As
with
the
telephone
research,
there
has
been
no
staKsKcally
significant
change
in
overall
agreement
since
July
2010…
Total
who
‘strongly’
or
‘tend
to’
agree
that
a
mentally
competent
adult
should
be
legally
allowed
to
receive
8
a
doctor’s
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of...
80%
73%
0.71
60%
60%
0.6
40%
20%
Terminal
illness
Elderly
with
health
problems
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,
ICM
Online
Omnibus
(March
2011:
2024/
March
2013:
2000)

9. …and
there
are
also
more
who
now
‘strongly’
agree
with
legal
assistance
to
die
in
both
situaKons
Total
who
‘strongly’
agree
that
a
mentally
competent
adult
should
be
legally
allowed
to
receive
a
doctor’s
9
assistance
to
die
in
the
event
of...
80%
60%
44%
41%
40%
32%
27%
20%
Terminal
illness
Elderly
with
health
problems
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,
ICM
Online
Omnibus
(March
2011:
2024/
March
2013:
2000)

10. Technical
note
(online
research)
10
• A
total
of
2,000
interviews
were
completed
between
8-­‐10
March
2013
with
UK
adults
aged
18+
(2,024
interviews
4-­‐6
March
2011)
• Interviews
were
conducted
online
and
the
data
was
collected
by
ICM
Omnibus
from
their
panel
of
135,000
panellists
(largely
recruited
by
telephone)
• Quotas
were
set
by
age,
gender
and
working
status
then
weighted
to
achieve
a
representaKve
sample
of
UK
adults
• For
the
second
wave
running
we
have
a
similar
finding:
the
online
sample
produces
a
slightly
lower
level
of
overall
agreement
but
a
rather
lower
level
of
those
who
‘strongly’
agree.
It
should
also
be
noted
that
slightly
more
disagree
in
the
telephone
sample.
Views
are
more
extreme
in
the
telephone
sample,
and
more
moderate
in
the
online
sample.
• It
is
likely
that
there
is
something
about
the
method
of
data
collecKon
that
is
influencing
the
proporKons
who
agree
'strongly.
There
are
a
couple
of
possibiliKes:
– People
are
considering
the
moral
or
legal
implicaKons
more
carefully
and
moderaKng
their
views
because
they
recognise
the
complexity
or
their
own
lack
of
understanding.
– The
lack
of
an
interviewer
removes
any
social
pressure
to
give
a
socially
desirable
or
morally
correct
answer
to
the
interviewer