Question Wording Matters
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.
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
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