Two thirds of UK public continue to think assisted dying should be legal, provided certain conditions are met

Majority of the UK public continue to believe it should be legal for a doctor to assist a patient aged 18 or older in ending their life by prescribing life-ending medication that the patient could take themselves (66%), provided certain conditions are met.

The author(s)
  • Gideon Skinner Head of Political Research
  • Keiran Pedley Director, Politics and Society Research
  • Ben Roff Public Affairs
Get in touch

Ahead of a vote in Parliament on assisted dying, new polling by Ipsos shows that a majority of the UK public continue to believe it should be legal for a doctor to assist a patient aged 18 or older in ending their life by prescribing life-ending medication that the patient could take themselves (66%), provided certain conditions are met. 16% think it should not be legal, with the remainder unsure or prefer not to say (18%). Levels of support are very similar to the last time polling was conducted in July 2023.

Should it be legal for a doctor to assist a terminally ill patient in ending their life by prescribing life-ending medication?

When asked if it should be legal for doctors to administer the life ending medication themselves, support is very similar at 64% in favour (again similar to July 2023 when it was 61%), and 18% opposed. 

Survey participants were also asked about conditions in which it might be appropriate for a doctor to assist a patient who is not terminally ill but is suffering in a way the patient finds unbearable (and which cannot be cured) in ending their life, by prescribing life-ending medication that the patient could take themselves. More than half of Britons (57%) would support doctors assisting non-terminally ill patients in physically unbearable conditions with life-ending medication. However, support declines to 35% when considering mental or emotional suffering.

Should it be legal for a doctor to assist a not terminally ill patient in ending their life by prescribing life-ending medication if they are…?

At present, assisted dying is not legal in the UK, with assisting suicide further criminalised in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There is no majority view, but a larger portion of the public believes it is acceptable for individuals to break the law to assist someone they know who desires to die (41%) than the quarter who find it unacceptable (25%).  Views are broadly similar to July 2023, albeit with a slight drop in opposition from 29% to 25%.

Commenting on the findings, Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

Our latest polling reveals a consistent public stance on the issue of assisted dying, with two-thirds of Britons maintaining their support for its legalisation under certain conditions. With the impending parliamentary vote, the stability in these figures over time suggests a relatively steady and supportive public view on changing the law, on the principle at least. Nevertheless, the exact conditions under which assisted dying may take place are also important to public attitudes, and there are sensitivities towards the arguments on both sides, which MPs will need to consider as they debate and vote.

Technical note: 

  • Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,130 UK adults aged 16-75. Interviews were conducted online between 1st-2nd October 2024.  
  • Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error. 

Respondents were provided with a definition of assisted dying before completing the survey that specifies that:

  • The patient would need to be of sound mind, 
  • The patient would be terminally ill and it is believed that they have 6 months or less to live, 
  • The patient would have made a voluntary, clear and settled decision to end their life (and made and signed a declaration to that effect in the presence of a witness), with time to consider all other options,
  • The patient has been resident in the country for at least a year,
  • The High Court confirms it is satisfied that these conditions have been met,
  • If the conditions are met, a health professional may help to prepare and assist with the medication, but the decision to self-administer the medicine and the final act of doing so must be taken by the patient themselves.
The author(s)
  • Gideon Skinner Head of Political Research
  • Keiran Pedley Director, Politics and Society Research
  • Ben Roff Public Affairs

More insights about Public Sector

Society