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ISSUE GUIDES: Right to Die

PUBLIC VIEW: RED FLAGS

The Red Flags section offers guidance on areas of public opinion research where findings may be misleading, unstable, or easily misinterpreted. Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously.

Red Flag Statements

Question Wording MattersWho Decides?

Public views on whether the country should legalize doctor-assisted suicide exhibit one of the chief markers of unresolved thinking: responses change when questions are re-worded. People are significantly less likely to support the concept of assisted suicide when questions use the word "suicide." Questions that refer to "ending a patient's life by painless means" draw broader support. And when a question describes in detail the safeguards included in Oregon's initiative, support for assisted suicide increases.

  • Majorities support doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill, but responses can vary depending on how the question...
  • Support for doctor-assisted suicide decreases if the question mentions "suicide"
  • Support for doctor-assisted suicide increases when the question mentions safeguards

Many Americans have faced end-of-life issues, with about one-third saying they've had to decide whether to keep a loved one alive using extraordinary means. Majorities say a person's spouse should be the one to decide the fate of a comatose-like patient who has no written directive of their wishes, although some are not sure. The public seems certain, though, that end-of-life decisions should be left to the individual. Large majorities say the government should not get involved. And two-thirds say they're concerned that Congress' involvement in the Terri Schiavo case set a precedent for government intervention in the future. While most people say they personally would not want to be kept alive in a "persistent vegetative" state, far fewer would be willing to end life support for their spouse or child. More than one-third of Americans say they have a living will or a health care proxy expressing their medical wishes if they are unable to do so. Of those who don't, nearly seven in 10 say the Terri Schiavo case made them think about drafting one.

  • Large majorities say the government should not get involved in cases regarding life support
  • More than one-third of Americans say they have a living will, but nearly seven in 10 of those who don't say the Terri Schiavo...
  • Most Americans say they would not want to be kept alive if they were in Terri Schiavo's condition, but far fewer say they...
  • One-third of Americans say they've had to make a decision about whether to keep a loved one alive using extraordinary means
  • Six in 10 Americans say a person's spouse should make the decisions for a coma-like patient, although some are not sure
  • Two-thirds of Americans say they're concerned about Congress intervening in individuals' lives in the future as a result of...

Public Agenda uses several indicators to judge when survey results should be reported and used cautiously:

  • Results change when survey questions are reworded slightly.
  • Results change when implications or trade-offs of a policy are pointed out.
  • Results may be misleading if reported in isolation or out of context.
  • Other research suggests that people have incomplete or inaccurate knowledge in this area.