Poll Results

The latest poll figures we have are from the USA.

The question was:

If a person has a disease that will ultimately destroy their mind or body and they want to take their own life, should a doctor be allowed to assist the person in taking their own life, or not?

The answers were:
Jan. 2006
Jul. 2005

Should be allowed
56%
54%

Should not
37%
39%

Not sure
7%
7%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,229 American adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 25, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

The following is a summary of polls carried out in New Zealand.

Massey University Department of Marketing mail survey of 1000 New Zealanders, conducted in August and September 2002.

The specific wording of the Massey survey questions asked and the responses to them are shown in the box below.Suppose a person has a painful incurable disease. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient’s life if the patient requests it?
Yes 73%
No 17%
Don’t Know 10%

Still thinking of that person with a painful incurable disease. Do you think that someone else, like a close relative, should be allowed by law to help end the patient’s life, if the patient requests it?
Yes 49%
No 38%
Don’t Know 13%

Dec 2000 NZ Herald Digipoll.
61% support the legalisation of euthanasia, ..
27% opposed legalising mercy killing.
Note: this poll does not include the word voluntary.

April 1992: Morgan Gallup Poll (NZ section)
Same questions as July 1991
Q1 69% yes, 18% NO
Q2 73% yes, 17% NO

July 1991 Morgan Gallup Poll (NZ section)
Q1 If there is absolutely no chance of a patient recovering, should the doctor let the patient die - or should the doctor try to keep the patient alive as long as possible.
66% yes
21% No
Q2 If a hopelessly ill patient is in great pain with absolutely no chance of recovering asks for a lethatl dose so as not to wake again, should a doctor be allowed to give a legal dose or not?
72% yes
21%No

June 1989: Frontline TV program
From a newspaper report,
74% agreed that an adult with an incurable illness should have the right to receive medical help to end his or her life., and 19% disagreed.

May 1988 Heylen
Q: ..allow adults suffering from a painful and incurable illness to receive medical help to end their lives, if they have earlier asked for it in writing..
Agree 62.8%
Disagree 18.3%

May 1982 Heylen
Q: … that a terminally ill adult in great pain or distress should be allowed to ask for medication to end their life?
71.2% Yes
22.2% No