Determinants of Public Attitudes towards Euthanasia in Adults and Physician-Assisted Death in Neonates in Austria: A National Survey

• Published in: PloS one 2015-04, Vol.10 (4), p.e0124320-e0124320
• Main Authors: Stolz, Erwin, Burkert, Nathalie, Großschädl, Franziska, Rásky, Éva, Stronegger, Willibald J, Freidl, Wolfgang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Aged; Assisted suicide; Attitude to Death; Attitudes; Austria; Authoritarianism; Cancer; Conformism; Conformity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Death; Demographics; Determinants; Educational attainment; Epidemiology; Euthanasia; Euthanasia - psychology; Female; Hostility; Households; Humans; Individualism; Interviews as Topic; Legislation; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Mortality; Multivariate Analysis; Nazi era; Neonates; Newborn babies; Personality; Physicians; Physicians - psychology; Public Opinion; Regression analysis; Rejection; Religion; Right to die; Studies; Suicide; Suicide, Assisted; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124320

Euthanasia remains a controversial topic in both public discourses and legislation. Although some determinants of acceptance of euthanasia and physician-assisted death have been identified in previous studies, there is still a shortage of information whether different forms of euthanasia are supported by the same or different sub-populations and whether authoritarian personality dispositions are linked to attitudes towards euthanasia. A large, representative face-to-face survey was conducted in Austria in 2014 (n = 1,971). Respondents faced three scenarios of euthanasia and one of physician assisted death differing regarding the level of specificity, voluntariness and subject, requiring either approval or rejection: (1) abstract description of euthanasia, (2) abstract description of physician-assisted suicide, (3) the case of euthanasia of a terminally-ill 79-year old cancer patient, and (4) the case of non-voluntary, physician assisted death of a severely disabled or ill neonate. A number of potential determinants for rejection ordered in three categories (socio-demographic, personal experience, orientations) including authoritarianism were tested via multiple logistic regression analyses. Rejection was highest in the case of the neonate (69%) and lowest for the case of the older cancer patient (35%). A consistent negative impact of religiosity on the acceptance across all scenarios and differential effects for socio-economic status, area of residence, religious confession, liberalism, and authoritarianism were found. Individuals with a stronger authoritarian personality disposition were more likely to reject physician-assisted suicide for adults but at the same time also more likely to approve of physician-assisted death of a disabled neonate. Euthanasia in adults was supported by a partially different sub-population than assisted death of disabled neonates.