A poll commissioned by the think tank Living and Dying Well (LDW) has found that the British public has grave concerns about assisted suicide laws when confronted with its reality, as seen in Canada and elsewhere.

Whitestone Insight polled over 2,000 British adults in June 2024 to get a representative view of the public’s opinion on proposed assisted suicide legislation due to be considered by the House of Lords this year.

While the poll found that a majority supported assisted suicide in principle, the British public expressed concerns and doubts about how such a law could be implemented safely.

More than half (56%) of those polled feared that legalising assisted suicide would normalise suicide – rising to 67% when omitting respondents who said they “don’t know”.

60% said that assisted suicide would fundamentally change the relationship between doctor and patient, while 43% feared that, because of the financial burden on the NHS and Social Care budget, health professionals would be incentivised to convince patients to turn to assisted suicide.

The poll also found that assisted suicide was especially unpopular with young people (18-24-year-olds), with 44% rejecting such a law.

70% of the British public stated that such legislation in nations like Canada and the Netherlands – where young people with no terminal illness can be helped to die – had gone too far.

Out of 24 political issues, assisted suicide ranked 23 as a priority, being less important than “regulating AI” and “international trade deals”, which both ranked higher. Only four per cent of respondents said it should be a priority.

The survey also found that many of those polled reconsidered their opinion when confronted with the reality of assisted suicide. For example, 40% of those who support a law in principle thought again when they were made aware that young people in Belgium and the Netherlands were being euthansied because of mental illness.

Similarly, 33% of those who support a bill in principle were concerned by the surge in assisted suicides in Oregon.

Tanni, The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, the chair of LDW, said: “This nationally representative poll conducted under British Polling Council guidelines gives a very different snapshot of ordinary peoples’ attitude towards assisted suicide than the glossy picture presented by [the pro-assisted suicide lobby…

“It shows that, at best, people are ambivalent about the prospect. And the survey shows that the more people know about the issue, the more likely they are to reject this legislation.”

Little support or appetite for assisted suicide

SPUC’s Daniel Frampton, Editorial Officer, said: “Much of the lobbying in favour of assisted suicide relies on keeping its horrific reality from the public until it is too late. As this poll shows, when people look at such laws and their deadly results, grave concerns emerge, and for good reason.

“The push to legalise assisted suicide in the UK creates the false impression that it is widely supported by the population, when in fact it is a small but vocal minority of campaigners and celebrities who are leading the charge.

“Politicians have a duty to protect citizens from irresponsible, thoughtless and dangerous legislation. It’s vital that MPs and Lords listen to the people and recognise their concerns rather than give in to the misleading clamour created by activists who appeal to emotion rather than facts.

“There is clearly little support or appetite for assisted suicide in the UK, and any such law must be rejected.”

New assisted suicide bill to be debated in the House of Lords

A new assisted suicide private members’ bill is due to have its first reading in the House of Lords later this month. SPUC has called the new bill a “profound threat” to vulnerable people in the UK.

The first reading of the Bill, brought forward by Lord Falconer, is due to take place today, Friday 26 July, and a full debate will likely take place in October.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer doubled down on his promise of a free vote on assisted suicide, though he added that this would likely not take place in the first year of his premiership.