Polling on Voter & Healthcare Provider Support for Medical Aid in Dying

National Polling

Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc., February 2023¹

• Nearly 8 out of 10 of U.S. residents (79%) who self-identify as having a disability agree that “medical aid in dying (MAID) should be legal for terminally ill, mentally capable adults who chose to self-ingest medication to die peacefully.”
• The poll shows the majority of people with disabilities across the political, ethnicity, age, education, gender spectrums, and regional areas support the option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill, mentally capable adults, including:
  • Independents: 83%
  • Democrats: 79%
  • Republicans: 65%
  • African American voters: 82%
  • Hispanic/Latino voters: 81%
  • White voters: 75%
  • North Central voters (CO, ID, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, WY, KS, MN, IA, MO): 95%
  • Northeast voters (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT): 76%
  • Western voters (AK, CA, HI, NV, UT, WA): 75% 
  • Southern voters (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA): 71%
  • Southwest voters (AZ, NM, OK, TX, AR, LA): 71%
  • Midwest voters (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WV, WI): 69%

Nurses' Values and Perspectives on Medical Aid in Dying: A Survey of Nurses in the United States, Feb. 1, 2022²

• Most nurses would care for a patient contemplating medical aid in dying (86%) and fewer during the final act of medical aid in dying (67%). 
• Personally, 49% would support the concept of medical aid in dying, and 57% professionally as a nurse.
• Nurses who identified as Christian were less likely to support medical aid in dying. Only 38% of Christian nurses felt that patients should be required to self-administer medications; 49% felt medical aid in dying should be allowed by advance directive.

Susquehanna Polling & Research Poll, November 2021³

• Voters are more than 8 times “more likely” (51%) than “less likely” (6%) to vote for a candidate for the state legislature if they sponsor or support medical aid-in-dying legislation. 
• The remaining voters surveyed said a state legislative candidate’s position on the issue had “no impact” (29%) on their voting preference, were “not sure” (8%), or opted to “decline to answer the question” (6%).
• Two out of three voters (67%) nationwide said if they “had an incurable, terminal illness, still had a sound mind, had less than six months to live, and … met the legal requirements,” they “would want the option of medical aid in dying,” with majority support of 61% or more in all six regions.
• This majority support for personally wanting the option of medical aid in dying includes every demographic group measured in the survey, including geographic region, political party, political philosophy, religious affiliation, ethnicity, gender identity, education level and age range: 
  • Midwest voters: 61%
  • Western voters: 62%
  • Northeast voters: 66%
  • Southern voters: 66%
  • North Central voters: 69%
  • Southwest voters: 79%
  • Self-identified independents/others: 63%
  • Self-identified Republicans: 68%
  • Self-identified Democrats: 70%
  • Progressive/liberal voters: 59%
  • Conservative voters: 66% 
  • Moderate voters: 70%
  • All other political philosophies: 69%
  • African American voters: 62%
  • White voters: 67% 
  • Hispanic/Latino voters: 70%
  • All other ethnicities: 65%
  • Muslim voters: 53%
  • Catholic voters: 66%
  • Protestant voters: 66%
  • Jewish voters: 83%
  • All other faith/non-religious voters: 69%⁴
  • Male voters: 65%
  • Female voters: 68% 
  • Voters up to some college education: 72%
  • Voters with a 2-4 year degree: 63%
  • Voters with a postgraduate degree: 66%
  • Voters 18-44 years old: 70%
  • Voters 35-44 70%
  • Voters 45-54 years old: 57%
  • Voters 55-64 years old: 69%
  • Voters 65 years of age or older: 67%

Society of Gynecologic Oncologists survey, August 2021⁵

• Nearly seven out of 10 gynecologic oncologists surveyed (69%) believed medical aid in dying should be legal.
• Respondents reporting medical aid in dying was either illegal or of unknown legal status in their state were asked if they would provide medical aid in dying if it was legal in their state; 36% of this group indicated they would provide the service, 30% would not, and 34% were uncertain. 
• Conclusions: Medical aid in dying is a highly relevant topic for gynecologic oncologists and their patients. Support exists among gynecologic oncologists for legalizing and providing medical aid in dying more broadly.

Medscape Oncology Ethics Report 2020⁶

• When asked “should physician assisted dying be made legal for terminally ill patients?” 55% of the more than 5,000 oncologists surveyed nationwide said “yes” compared to 49% in 2018.

Medscape Poll, November 2020⁷

• When asked “should physician assisted dying be made legal for terminally ill patients?” 55% of the 5,000 doctors surveyed nationwide said “yes,” compared to 28% who said “no,” and 17% who said “it depends.”
• The poll concluded: “Acceptance of this concept has grown over the decade. More specialists (57%) than primary care physicians (51%) are in favor of physician-assisted dying being legal.”
• Medscape’s 2010 survey asking doctors if they supported medical aid in dying showed that 46% of physicians nationwide said yes, compared to 41% who said no, and 14% who said it depends.

State Polling

Alaska 

Alaska Research Survey, 3rd Quarter of 2017⁸

• Seven out of 10 Alaskan voters surveyed (70%) agreed that: “... a person in Alaska who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been given a prognosis by two physicians of less than six months to live, should have the legal right to end their life on their own terms, through the use of a doctor’s prescription.”

Arizona 

O.H. Predictive Insights, January 2022⁹

• Six out of 10 registered voters in Arizona (60%) said they “support a proposed law that would allow terminally ill persons to take a medication that would end their own lives as long as two doctors certify that the person is terminally ill and is mentally competent…”
• Only 13% of Arizona voters oppose a proposed medical-aid-in-dying law.
• Majority support for a proposed medical-aid-in-dying spanned the age, education, gender, geographic, income, political ideology (e.g., liberal, conservative), political party, racial, and religious spectrums.¹⁰
  • White voters: 63%
  • Hispanic voters: 55%
  • Voter of other races: 54%
  • Democrats: 63%
  • Republicans: 51%
  • Other parties/Independents: 65%
  • Protestants: 56%
  • Catholics: 52%
  • Latter-Day Saints: 59%
  • Other Religions: 66%¹¹ 
  • Men: 60%
  • Women: 60%
  • Age 18-44: 60%
  • Age: 45-64: 56%
  • Age 65+: 64%

Behavior Research Center’s Rocky Mountain Poll, November 2015¹²

• By a 2-1 margin (56% vs. 31%), adult heads of households surveyed in Arizona support a “proposed law that would allow terminally ill persons to end their own lives provided that two doctors certify that the person is terminally ill and is mentally competent. The new law would also require that the ill person administer the lethal drug themselves orally or via injection. In this way the patient would be in total control of their end of life decision.”
• Adults in the 55-and-over age bracket support the legislation by more than 2-to-1 (63% vs. 25%).

California

California Health Care Foundation, Oct. 2019: Help Wanted: Californians’ Views and Experiences of Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care¹³

• Three in four Californians surveyed (75%) support the End of Life Option Act, the California state law that gives some terminally ill adults the option to take life-ending medication prescribed by a physician. 
• Support of this act varied by race/ethnicity (Asian Californians: 76%; Black Californians: 70%; Latino Californians: 68%; white Californians: 82%) and income (below 150% of the federal poverty line 65%; between 150% and 399% above the poverty line 71%; 400% above the federal poverty level 83%).

Colorado

Colorado Presidential Election, November 8, 2016¹⁴

• By a 30-point margin (65% vs. 35%), Colorado voters approved the medical aid-in-dying ballot initiative, Prop. 106. 

Colorado Medical Society Member Survey, February 2016¹⁵

• Overall, 56% of CMS members are in favor of “physician-assisted suicide, where adults in Colorado could obtain and use prescriptions from their physicians for self-administered, lethal doses of medications.” 

Connecticut

Greenberg Quinian Rosner (GQR), March 2021¹⁶

• Three out of four voters surveyed (75%) support “legislation [that] will allow people with less than six months to live to request medication from their doctor that they could decide to take to end the dying process that patients find unbearable.”
• The majority support for medical aid-in-dying legislation spans the age, demographic, gender identity, political, racial and religious spectrum of the survey.¹⁷
  • Democrats: 84%
  • Independents: 74%
  • Republicans: 64%
  • Men: 72%
  • Women: 78%
  • Age 18 – 49: 80%
  • Age 50+: 73%
  • White: 77%
  • Black: 71%
  • Hispanic: 80%
  • Mixed race/other: 64%
  • College educated: 79%
  • Non-college educated: 72%
  • College men: 77%
  • Non-college men: 69%
  • College women: 80%
  • Non-college women: 75%
  • People with disabilities: 65%
  • Protestant: 70%
  • Roman Catholic: 69%
  • Total Christian: 68%
  • No religious affiliation: 89%
  • Religious services weekly or more: 53%

Quinnipiac University Poll, March 2015¹⁸

• By more than a 2-1 margin (63% vs. 31%), Connecticut voters polled supported “allowing doctors to legally prescribe lethal drugs to help terminally ill patients end their own lives.” 

Delaware

NüPOINT Market Research, May 23-June 6, 2022¹⁹

• Nearly three out of four Delaware physicians surveyed (74%) say they support current legislation that would allow terminally ill adults the legal option of medical aid in dying to end their suffering. 
• More than three out of four physicians (77%) in the survey who identified as a member of the Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) support medical-aid-in-dying legislation.

GBAO Strategies Survey, Jan-Feb 2020²⁰

By nearly a 4-1 margin (72% vs. 20 %), Delaware voters surveyed support legislation “that would give terminally ill patients with decision-making capacity the right to take medication to end their own lives.”

• Majority support is consistent across the state: Wilmington (77%), New Castle County (77%), Kent County (71%), and Sussex County (69%).
• Catholics (80%), Protestants (62%) and people in other religions (96%) support “allowing an adult with decision-making capacity, who is dying of a terminal disease with no hope of recovery, the right to bring about their own death.”²¹
• The survey showed majority support for medical aid-in-dying legislation by virtually every demographic group measured in the survey, including party affiliation, race, religion, gender, education level and age group.

Hawai‘i

Merriman River Group poll, Nov. 27-29, 2017²²

• By nearly a 3-1 margin (63% yes vs. 22% no), registered Hawaii voters who said: “If the state Legislature were to bring up a revised ‘medical aid in dying’ bill again next year [2018],” they would support it.
• A plurality of voters — and in most cases a strong majority of voters — supported medical aid in dying in every demographic group: gender, age, ethnicity, county, district, education, political party affiliation, political leaning and household income.
• “There used to be a stigma associated with it [medical aid in dying], but I think that’s largely gone,” said Matt Fitch, executive director of Merriman River Group, which conducted The Civil Beat poll. “It’s supported across all four counties, both congressional districts, household income and education brackets.”

Journal of Palliative Medicine online survey, July-Oct. 2015: Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii²³

• “Majority of study participants in California (72.5%) were supportive of PAD [physician-assisted death].” 
• “...all ethnic groups were equally supportive of PAD.” 
• “Even in the subgroups least supportive of PAD, the majority supports PAD.” 
• “In California, 75.6% of non-Hispanic whites, 74.3% of Asians, and 71.6% of Hispanics were in support of PAD compared to 59.6% of African Americans.” 
• “Within Asian Americans, Chinese were most favorably disposed toward PAD (82.7% in California), followed by Japanese (74.6% in California) and the Filipino Americans (67.7% in California).” 
• “It is remarkable that in both states, even participants who were deeply spiritual, a majority of 52%, were still in support of PAD.” 
• “The effects of gender and ethnicity did not reach statistical significance in terms of attitudes toward PAD.”

Illinois

Impact Research, February 2023²⁴

• More than seven out of 10 Illinois voters (71%), including 73% of voters living a disability, “think a mentally capable adult patient with an incurable, terminal illness, who only has six months or less to live, should have the legal option of medical aid in dying to pass peacefully in their sleep.”
• Less than one out of five voters (17%) oppose the legal option of medical aid in dying.
• Majority support for medical aid in dying spans the age, gender, racial and religious spectrums;²⁵ 
  • White voters: 69%
  • Black/African American voters: 69%
  • Hispanic/Latino voters: 86%
  • Catholics: 69%
  • Non-Catholic Christians: 58%
  • Atheist/Agonist/Non-Affiliated: 89%

Medscape Survey 2021²⁶

• Nearly six out of 10 Illinois physicians (58%) said they support “Medical aid in dying (MAiD), also called physician-assisted death (PAD)...a practice in which a terminally ill adult with decision-making capacity asks for and receives a prescription medication that may be self-ingested to hasten a foreseeable death.”
• Only one out of four Illinois physicians (25%) oppose (MAiD/PAD).
• Overall, rates of support for medical aid in dying were similar across geographic regions, ranging from 55% to 63%.
• More than six out 10 Illinois doctors (62%) say they would like to have the option of MAID/PAD if they become terminally ill, compared to one only one out of five (20%) who would not. 
• When physicians were asked whether they support or oppose potential MAID/PAD legislation–and were informed about eight stipulations in a potential law–support for MAiD/PAD increased from 58% to 65% and opposition decreased from 25% to 20%. 
• Nearly three out of four Illinois physicians (76%) either preferred that professional medical associations adopt a supportive position on MAiD/PAD (37%) or a position of engaged neutrality, in which they neither support nor oppose MAiD/PAD, but serve as an educational resource (39%). 
• Nearly four out of 10 Illinois physicians (39%) say they would be willing to write a prescription, compared to 38% who say they would not. Nearly one-quarter of physicians (23%) were undecided.

Maryland 

Gonzales Gonzales Research & Media Services, January, 2023²⁷

• 61% of Marylanders said they personally “would want the option of medical aid in dying” if they “had an incurable, terminal illness, still had a sound mind, had less than six months to live and met the legal requirements.”
• 71% of Marylanders said they support the option of medical aid in dying, regardless of faith²⁸,  race, party affiliation or region: 
  • Pro-Choice: 82%
  • Pro-Life: 49% (vs. 44% opposed)
  • Catholics: 58%
  • Protestants: 72%
  • White voters: 73%
  • African American voters: 70%
  • Voters of other races: 63%
  • Democrats: 75%
  • Republicans: 66%
  • Independents: 67%
  • Eastern Shore: 78%
  • Western Maryland: 79%
  • Baltimore City: 65%
  • Baltimore Suburbs: 71%
  • Washington Suburbs²⁹: 71% 
    • Prince George's Co.: 68
    • Montgomery Co.: 74%
    • Charles Co.: 73%
    • Frederick Co.: 68%
• 74% of Marylanders said they should have this option after learning that Washington, D.C., and 10 states have it.

Gonzales Research & Media Services, Dec. 20-30, 2021³⁰

• Nearly six of 10 Maryland voters (57%) say they “would want the option of medical aid in dying” if they “had an incurable, terminal illness, still had a sound mind, had less than six months to live and met the legal requirements.”
• Nearly seven of 10 Maryland voters (69%) support this option of medical aid in dying.
• When advised that 10 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., have the option of medical aid in dying, nearly three out of four Maryland voters (73%) said Maryland should have this option.
• There was majority support for Maryland having this option in every demographic measured in the survey, including age group, gender identity, party affiliation, race and region:
  • Democratic voters: 77%
  • Republican voters: 70%
  • Unaffiliated voters: 66%
  • African American voters: 68%
  • white voters: 76% 
  • Baltimore city voters: 70%
  • Baltimore suburban voters: 72%
  • Eastern Shore voters: 73%
  • Western Maryland voters: 73%
  • Washington suburban voters: 75%
  • Voters 18-39 years old: 79%
  • Voters 40-49 years old: 82%
  • Voters 50-59 years old: 76%
  • Voters 60 years of age or older: 61%
  • Male voters: 80%
  • Female voters: 67% 

Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi) survey, June-July 2016³¹

• Six out of 10 Maryland physicians (60%) supported changing the Maryland State Medical Society’s position on Maryland’s 2016 aid-in-dying legislation from opposing the bill to supporting it (47%) or adopting a neutral stance (13%). 
• Among the physicians surveyed who were current members of the Maryland State Medical Society, 65% supported changing the organization’s position to supporting the medical aid-in-dying bill (50.2%) or adopting a neutral stance (14.6%).

Massachusetts 

Beacon Research March 2023³²

• Nearly three out of four Massachusetts voters (73%) support a bill to allow terminally ill adults to have the option of medical aid in dying to peacefully end unbearable suffering and nearly eight out of ten voters (79%) support the bill after they learn about its safeguards.
• Majority support for passing Massachusetts medical-aid-in-dying legislation, the End of Life Options Act, spans the age, geographic, political, race, religious³³,  and reproductive rights spectrums.
  • White voters: 76% 
  • Voters of color: 63%
  • Voters under age 45: 77%
  • Senior voters: 74%. 
  • At least seven in 10 voters (70%-75%) in every region of the state support the bill.
  • Democrats: 79%
  • Unenrolled voters: 71%
  • Republicans: 68%
  • Strongly pro-choice voters: 89%
  • Moderate pro-choice voters: 68%
  • Plurality of pro-life voters: 47% support vs. 43% oppose
  • Catholic voters: 68%
  • Protestant voters: 71% 
  • Voters with disability: 68%

   

 

• After hearing these facts about the law, support for the bill increases for
  • Catholics to 76% 
  • Voters with a disability to 78%

Boston Globe-Suffolk Univ., April 2022³⁴

• Nearly 77% of Massachusetts residents believe a mentally sound adult with an incurable, terminal illness should have the legal option of asking a physician to prescribe aid-in-dying medication to end their suffering. Nearly 16% opposed and 7 percent were undecided.
• Majority support spanned the state regional, political and racial spectrums.³⁵
• The survey also shows nearly four out of 10 residents (39%) are less likely to support lawmakers who fail to pass the medical-aid-in-dying legislation, the End of Life Options Act (S.1384/ H.2381).
  

Massachusetts Medical Society survey, Sept. 5 – Oct. 16, 2017³⁶

• By a 2-1 margin, Massachusetts physicians (60%) said they strongly support (29%) or support (31%) “medical aid in dying … the practice of physicians giving terminally ill adults prescriptions for lethal medications, to be self-administered at such time as the patient sees fit” vs. oppose or strongly oppose this end-of-life care option (30%).

• By a more than 2-1 margin, physicians (62%) said they strongly support (27%) or support (35%) “proposed ’aid-in-dying legislation’ in Massachusetts, ‘an Act relative to end of life options’ (House bill 1194/Senate bill 1225)” vs. oppose or strongly oppose the legislation (28%).

Minnesota 

Greenberg, Quinlan Rosner Research survey, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2016³⁷

• By a 51-point margin (73% vs. 22%) likely voters in Minnesota “support legislation that would authorize medical aid in dying” for mentally capable people age 18 or older with less than six months to live so they could request medication from their doctor that they could decide to take to shorten the dying process. 

• Legislation making the option accessible earns the support of 67% of Christians,  71% of Catholics, 93% of people who do not identify with any religion³⁸, 87% of Democrats, 76% of independents, 53% of Republicans; 61% of independents say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports medical aid-in-dying legislation.

• Majority support for medical aid in dying exists in each region of the state. A legal option for medical aid in dying earns 74% support in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area and 72% support in greater Minnesota.

Minnesota State Senate Fair Poll, August–September 2016³⁹

• By more than a 3-1 ratio (68% vs. 22%), Minnesotans who completed the state Senate’s questionnaire at the annual state fair agreed that: “When a mentally competent adult is dying from an incurable and irreversible medical condition that is expected to end the individual’s life within six months … this individual should be allowed to obtain from a physician a prescription for medication that may be  self-administered to end that person’s life.” 

Minnesota House of Representatives State Fair Poll, August – September 2016⁴⁰

• By nearly a 3-1 ratio, (67% vs. 23%), Minnesotans who completed the state House of Representatives’ questionnaire at the annual state fair agreed that: “When a mentally capable adult is dying from a terminal illness … this adult should be allowed to receive a prescription for life-ending medication they may self-administer.”

Montana 

Susquehanna Polling & Research, February 2023⁴¹

• Nearly nine out of 10 Montana voters (88%) oppose a bill, SB 210, which would subject physicians to homicide charges if they honor a request by a terminally ill adult for a prescription for medical aid in dying.
• Opposition to SB 210 spans the political spectrum⁴². It includes a majority of:
  • Self-identified pro-life voters: 86% 
  • Self-identified pro-choice voters 88%
  • Voters with a disability: 94%
  • Firearm owners: 89%
  • Self-identified Republicans: 89%
  • Self-identified Democrats: 87%
  • Unaffiliated voters: 87%

   

• The poll also shows that:
  • 83% of Montana voters support maintaining the legal option of medical aid in dying in Montana
  • 74% of Montana voters personally want the option of medical aid in dying 
  • 66% of Montana pro-life voters personally want the option of medical aid in dying

Nevada 

Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc., April 2023⁴³

• More than eight out of 10 Nevada voters (82%) support legislation that would give terminally ill Nevadans the option of medical aid in dying.
• Nearly four out of five poll respondents (79%) said they personally wanted the option of medical aid in dying if they had an incurable, terminal illness.
• Support for medical aid in dying as a personal option is broad-based and includes majorities in key voter groups, including:  
  • Self-identified Republican voters: 78%
  • Self-identified Democratic voters: 76%
  • Self-identified Independent voters: 76%, who are unaffiliated or have no connection to a major political party. 
  • Self-identified “pro-choice” voters on abortion: 83%
  • Self-identified “pro-life” voters on abortion: 72%
  • Voters with disabilities: 79%
  • Gun-owner voters: 78%
  • Catholics: 77%
  • Protestants and majorities of voters in other religions: 80% 
  • White voters: 79%
  • Non-White voters, which include Latino, Asian, and Black voters: 84%
  • Voters in Pershing County, Lander County, Eureka County, Storey County, Mineral County, Esmeralda County, and Lincoln County: 83%
  • Clark County voters: 80%
  • Voters in Carson City, Churchill County, Douglas County, Elko County, Humboldt County, Lyon County, Nye County, and White Pine County: 79%
  • Washoe County voters: 74%

Public Policy Polling, February 2021⁴⁴

• Nearly three out of four Nevada voters (72%) support “legislation that would allow a terminally ill adult patient, with a prognosis of six months or less to live and suffering from an incurable illness, to obtain a doctor's prescription for a medication they may voluntarily take to end their life.”
• Majority support included every demographic group measured, including political affiliation, race, age, Christian religion⁴⁵ and gender identity.
  • Democrats: 80% 
  • Republicans: 65% 
  • Libertarians: 82%
  • Independent or other party: 62% 
  • African American Nevadans: 76%
  • Hispanic Nevadans: 73%
  • white Nevadans: 72%
  • Other races: 68%
  • Age 18-45: 73%
  • Age 46-65: 72%
  • Age 66 and older: 73%
  • Protestants: 71%
  • Catholics: 67%
  • Non-denominational Christians: 67%
  • Other religions: 74%
  • Women: 71%
  • Men: 74%

New Jersey

Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, February 2015⁴⁶

• By more than a 2-1 margin (63% to 29%), New Jersey residents support a state Legislature aid-in-dying bill that “would allow terminally ill patients to obtain a prescription to end their lives.”
• “This is not really a partisan issue in New Jersey,” said Ashley Koning, manager of the Rutgers-Eagleton poll. “Though a difficult subject for many, the issue has widespread support and acceptance here. Public opinion is mainly on the bill’s side.” 
• A majority of New Jerseyans of all denominations and levels of religiosity would prefer to relieve pain and discomfort, even if that meant shortening their life, including Protestants (73%), Catholics (64%) and other non-Protestant residents (59%)⁴⁷.

New Mexico

Research & Polling Survey, April 2012⁴⁸

• Two out of three New Mexico voters (65%) favor “allowing a mentally competent adult, who is dying of a terminal disease, with no hope of recovery, the choice to request and receive medication from his/her physician which could bring about their own death, if there were appropriate safeguards in place to protect patients against abuse.”

New York

Marist Poll, October 2021⁴⁹

• New York registered voters support “legislation which would allow doctors to prescribe a drug dose to an adult who has been told they have less than six months to live so the patient can take their own life if they want to” by a 23-point margin (59% support vs. 36% oppose). 
• The poll shows majority support across the state (NYC: 57%, downstate suburbs: 63%, and upstate: 56%), the political spectrum (Democrats: 60%, Republicans: 55%, independents: 68%) and among both white voters (60%) and “nonwhite” voters (55%).

Siena College Research Institute, Feb. 2019⁵⁰

• Nearly six out of 10 New York registered voters (58%) supported “legislation that would allow a doctor to prescribe lethal drugs that a terminally ill patient with demonstrated decision-making capacity would take on their own in order to end their own life.” 

Medscape WebMD survey, November, 2018⁵¹

• New York doctors support medical aid in dying as an end-of-life care option by a 30-point margin (56% vs. 26%). 
• By an even larger 67-20% margin, New York doctors support proposed legislation to authorize medical aid in dying. 

Tennessee 

Princeton Survey Research Associates International/Vanderbilt University, May 2015⁵²

• Tennessee voters agreed by a 17-point margin (55% vs. 38%) that doctors should be permitted to assist people with painful, incurable diseases to painlessly end their lives.  

Utah Polling

Dan Jones & Associates survey, November 2015⁵³

• Nearly six of 10 adult Utahns (58%) favor “some kind of ‘right to die’ law, where licensed medical personnel could help a terminally ill, mentally competent person die with allowed drugs if that person chooses.” 
• Republicans are divided on the issue, with 41% saying they favor “right-to-die” legislation and 50% opposed. Democrats and independents overwhelmingly prefer the idea with 90% of Democrats and 67% of independents supporting. 
• Of the Christian religious groups polled, there was not much of a religious divide on the question: 94% of those who say they don’t ascribe to any religion, self-described “not active” Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church members, 80% of Protestants, 79% of “somewhat active” Mormons, and 76% of Catholics favored the idea.⁵⁴
• The only Christian religious group polled opposed to the idea were “very active” LDS Church members by a 54-38% margin.

Vermont Polling

Momentum Analysis Survey, June 2012⁵⁵

• Seven out of 10 Vermont voters polled (70%) favor legislation allowing “mentally competent, terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to be able to end their life in a humane and dignified manner, using prescription medications they can self-administer.”

Virginia Polling

The Wason Center Surveys, State of the Commonwealth 2022⁵⁶

• Seven out of 10 Virginia voters (70%) agreed that: “Mentally capable adults with a terminal disease who have less than six months to live should have the right to request and receive medication to peacefully end their life in consultation with an attending and consulting physician.”
• Majority support for medical aid in dying spanned the survey spectrum of political affiliation, race, religion⁵⁷, location, voters vs. nonvoters, gender, education, income and age: 
  • Republican: 56%
  • Moderate: 76%
  • Democrat: 79%
  • White: 74%
  • Black/African American: 54%
  • Hispanic/Latino/a/x: 72%
  • Catholic: 77%
  • Protestant: 56%
  • Christian (other than Catholics and Protestants): 64%
  • Northern Virginia: 76%
  • Richmond-central: 69%
  • Hampton Roads: 72%
  • Southside/SW/Valley: 63%
  • Larger city: 72%
  • Suburb near city: 79%
  • Town or small city: 62%
  • Rural: 61%
  • Voted: 70%
  • Men: 72%
  • Women: 69%
  • Age 18-24: 92%
  • Age 25-34: 83%
  • Age 35-44: 67%
  • Age 45-54: 70%
  • Age 55+: 65%
  • Age 18-44: 76%
  • Age 45 & older: 65%

Wason Center for Public Policy Survey, November 2020⁵⁸

• Seven out of 10 Virginians (70%) agreed that: “Mentally capable adults with a terminal disease who have less than six months to live should have the right to request and receive medication to peacefully end their life in consultation with an attending and consulting physician.”
• Majority support for medical aid in dying spanned the survey spectrum of political affiliation, race, religion, location, voters vs. nonvoters, gender, education, income and age: 
  • Republican: 60%
  • Moderate: 73%
  • Democrat: 81%
  • No preference: 59%
  • White voters: 69%
  • Black/African American voters: 79%
  • Hispanic/Latino/a/x voters: 58%
  • Catholic: 60%
  • Protestant: 68%
  • Christian (other than Catholics and Protestants):: 67%
  • Northern Virginia: 64%
  • Richmond-central: 78%
  • Hampton Roads: 75%
  • Southside/SW/Valley: 65%
  • Larger city: 73%
  • Suburb near city: 76%
  • Town or small city: 66%
  • Rural: 62%
  • Men: 69%
  • Women: 70%
  • Age 18-24: 68%
  • Age 25-34: 82%
  • Age 35-44: 74%
  • Age 45-54: 68%
  • Age 55+: 64%
  • Age 18-44: 76%
  • Age 45 and older: 65%

Washington, D.C., Polling

Lake Research Survey, July 2015⁵⁹

• Two-thirds (67%) of District of Columbia residents support — and 51% strongly support — the right of terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to legally obtain medication to end their lives.

¹USA/National Public Opinion Survey of 1,004 respondents - Cross Tabulation Report, February 2023. Accessed at: https://bit.ly/SPRNatDisabilityPoll2023

²J Hosp Palliat Nurs. 2022 Feb 1. Nurses' Values and Perspectives on Medical Aid in Dying: A Survey of Nurses in the United States. A cross-sectional electronic survey was sent to American Nurses Association nurse members; 2390 responded; 2043 complete data sets were used for analysis. Accessed at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34840280/

³Nationwide Poll Shows Strong Support for Advance Care-Dementia Planning, Medical Aid in Dying. USA SURVEY OVERVIEW, NOV. 24, 2021. Accessed at:  susquehannapolling.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PollMemo-CandC-SPR-Nov-24-21.pdf  

⁴94% of U.S. adults are either Christians of various denominations (71%) or do not identify with any religion (23%), while 6% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (2%), Muslim (<1%), Buddhist (<1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (2%), according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/

⁵MAID ready for primetime? A survey of SGO membership regarding medical aid in dying (MAID). Accessed online 18 August 2021 at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090825821010362

⁶Medscape: “A Decade of Changes in Oncologists’ Attitudes,” Jan. 29, 2021. Accessed at: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-ethics-rpt-oncology-6013582#5

⁷Medscape, “Life, Death, and Painful Dilemmas: Ethics 2020, Nov. 13, 2020. Accessed at: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-ethics-report-life-death-6013311#2

⁸The Alaska Survey. Alaska Survey Research. 3rd Quarter, 2017. Accessed at: http://www.akleg.gov/basis/get_documents.asp?session=30&docid=38869

⁹Arizona End of Life Options, Broad majority of Arizona residents support passage of a Medical Aid in Dying law. Accessed at: https://azendoflifeoptions.org/arizona-public-poll/

¹⁰Arizona Registered Voters Survey Conducted on January 11th - January 13th, 2022. 855 Registered Voters Online Opt-In Panel Survey. Accessed at: https://azendoflifeoptions.org/files/OH-Predictive-Insights-AZELO-Poll-Jan-2022.xlsx

¹¹94% of Arizona adults are either Christians of various denominations (67%) or do not identify with any religion (27%), while 6% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (2%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/state/arizona/

¹²Arizonans Favor Right to Die by 56 to 31%. Behavior Research Center’s Rocky Mountain Poll. Nov. 2015. Accessed at: http://brc-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RMP-2015-IV-01.pdf

¹³Views of the End of Life Option Act, by Race/Ethnicity and Help Wanted Income Level, California, 2019. Accessed at: https://www.chcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/HelpWantedCaliforniansViewsSeriousIllness.pdf

¹⁴Colorado Proposition 106, Physician-Assisted Death Initiative (2016). Accessed at: https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_Proposition_106,_Physician-Assisted_Death_Initiative_(2016)

¹⁵Colorado Medical Society Member Survey, On Issues Surrounding Physician-Assisted Death, February 2016, Accessed at: http://www.cms.org/articles/physician-assisted-death-polling-shows-a-divided-membership

¹⁶GQR conducted a survey among 550 likely 2022 general election voters in Connecticut from March 14–17, 2021. Accessed at: bit.ly/CTGQRpollMAID2022

¹⁷93% of Connecticut adults are either Christians of various denominations (70%) or do not identify with any religion (23%), while 7% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (3%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (1%), Muslim (1%),  Mormon (1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (2%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/connecticut/

¹⁸Low Dem Support Hurts Connecticut Gov. Malloy, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say No To More Casinos 4-1. Quinnipiac University. March 2015. Accessed at: https://poll.qu.edu/images/polling/ct/ct03112015_C47tjgbf.pdf

¹⁹NüPOINT Market Research, Random-sample size of 147 physician respondents May 23-June 6, 2022. Accessed at: bit.ly/DE2022DocEndOfLifeOptionsActPoll

²⁰GBAO Strategies, Delaware Statewide Survey, Jan-Feb 2020. Accessed at: bit.ly/DEGBAOpollMAID2020 

²¹92% of Delaware adults are either Christians of various denominations (69%) or do not identify with any religion (23%), while 6% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (3%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (<1%), Hindu (2%) other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (1%), according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/delaware/

²²Blair, Chad. Civil Beat Poll: Support is Still Strong for Medical Aid in Dying. December 2017. Accessed at: https://www.civilbeat.org/2017/12/civil-beat-poll-support-is-still-strong-for-medical-aid-in-dying/

²³Periyakoil, V. MD, Kraemer, H. PhD, and Neri, E. MS. Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii. The Journal of Palliative Medicine. June 2016. Accessed at: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jpm.2016.0160

²⁴Illinois Medical Aid in Dying Questions, Feb. 6-12, 2023, N=700 Likely November 2024 Voters. Accessed at: https://bit.ly/ILImpactResearchPollMAID2023 

²⁵93% of Illinois adults are either Christians of various denominations (71%) or do not identify with any religion (22%), while 6% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (1%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/state/illinois/

²⁶Survey of 409 Illinois Physicians’ Attitudes Toward Medical Aid in Dying as an End-of-Life Option Executive Summary. Accessed at: https://bit.ly/WebMdILDocsMAIDpoll2023 

²⁷Poll conducted from January 9th through January 14th, 2023. A total of 823 registered voters in Maryland were queried by live, person-to-person telephone interviews, including both landline and cell phone numbers. Accessed at: bit.ly/GonzalesPollMDEndOfLifeOptionsAct2023

²⁸91% of Maryland adults are either Christians of various denominations (69%) or do not identify with any religion (23%), while 8% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (3%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (2%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/state/maryland/

²⁹Gonzales Maryland Poll – January 2023 Washington Suburbs. Accessed at: bit.ly/GonzalesMDDCsuburbsMAIDpoll2023 

³⁰Poll conducted from December 20th through December 30th, 2021. A total of 807 registered voters in Maryland who vote regularly were queried by live telephone interviews, utilizing both landline and cell phone numbers. Accessed at: bit.ly/GonzalesMDpollMAID2021

³¹MedChi Survey on Physician Assisted Suicide/Aid in Dying, June-July 2016. Accessed at: medchi.org/Portals/18/files/Law%20&%20Advocacy/Initiatives%20Page/MedChi%20Survey%20on%20Assisted%20Suicide.pdf?ver=2016-08-09-111636-707

³²Statewide poll of 1,018 Massachusetts voters conducted March 13-21, 2023. Accessed at: bit.ly/BeaconMAPollEndOfLifeOptionsAct2023

³³90% of Massachusetts adults are either Christians of various denominations (58%) or do not identify with any religion (32%), while 9% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (3%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (2%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/state/massachusetts/

³⁴The Suffolk University statewide survey of 800 residents was conducted April 24-28 and is based on live interviews of adults 18 years of age or older. Accessed at: https://www.suffolk.edu/news-features/news/2022/05/01/01/09/suffolk-poll-majority-of-massachusetts-residents-say-economy-is-in-decline

³⁵Suffolk University statewide survey crosstabs. Accessible at: bit.ly/GlobeMAPollEndofLifeOptionsAct2022Xtabs 

³⁶Massachusetts Medical Society House of Delegates. Medical-Aid-in-Dying Survey. September 2017. Accessed at: http://www.massmed.org/advocacy/state-advocacy/maid-survey-2017/

³⁷Broad Support for Medical Aid in Dying in Minnesota Poll Results. Accessed at: bit.ly/GQRRMinnMAIDpoll2016

³⁸94% of Minnesota adults are either Christians of various denominations (74%) or do not identify with any religion (20%), while 5% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (1%), Muslim (1%), Buddhist (<1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (1%) or other faiths (1%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/minnesota/

³⁹Minnesota State Senate Fair Poll, August-September 2016. Accessed at: https://www.lrl.mn.gov/docs/2016/other/160795.pdf

⁴⁰Minnesota House of Representatives State Fair Poll, August-September 2016. Accessed at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/leginfo/16poll_results.pdf

⁴¹Top Line Survey Results Montana Statewide Public Opinion Survey Interviews Conducted Feb. 6-12, 2023 Sample Size: 601 Montana Voters. Accessed at: https://bit.ly/MTaid-in-dyingPollToplines

⁴²Montana Statewide Public Opinion Survey - Cross Tabulation Reports, February 2023. Accessed at:  https://bit.ly/MTaid-in-dyingPollCrosstabs

⁴³The poll is a random sample of 600 registered Nevada voters, weighted to state Census data and balanced by geographic region, age, political party affiliation and other factors. Conducted April 10-13 using live telephone agents. Accessed at: bit.ly/SPandRSurveyNVMAID2023

⁴⁴Public Policy Polling conducted this survey (n=700) between Feb. 3–4, 2021. Accessed at: bit.ly/PPPsurveyNVMAID2021

⁴⁵94% of Nevada adults are either Christians of various denominations (66%) or do not identify with any religion (28%), while 5% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (2%), Muslim (<1%), Buddhist (<1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (3%), according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/nevada/

⁴⁶Strong Support for “Aid in Dying” Bill, Assisted Suicide “Morally Acceptable,” Rutgers-Eagleton Poll Finds. Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. February 2015. Accessed at: https://eagletonpoll.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/release_02-25-15.pdf 

⁴⁷85% of New Jersey adults are either Christians of various denominations (67%) or do not identify with any religion (18%), while 14% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (6%), Muslim (3%), Buddhist (<1%), Hindu (3%), other World religions (1%) and other faiths (1%), according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/new-jersey/

⁴⁸Topline Results, Research & Polling, Inc. Compassion & Choices. April 2012. Accessed at: bit.ly/NMResearchAndPollingMAIDsurvey2012

⁴⁹Marist Poll of 822 New York State Adults. See question 29. Accessed at: maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Marist-Poll_NYS-NOS-and-Tables_202110110852.pdf

⁵⁰Siena College Research Institute, February 2019. Accessed at: https://files.constantcontact.com/9c83fb30501/cf5875e6-733b-42d9-ad23-81155a0ec644.pdf

⁵¹NY Doctors Support Medical Aid in Dying 56-26%; Support NY Medical Aid in Dying Bill 67-20%; First Valid Survey of NY Doctors – By WebMD/Medscape – Shows 63% Want the Option if They Become Terminally Ill, January 28, 2019. Accessed at: bit.ly/NYwebMdMedscapePollMAID2018

⁵²Patterson, J. The full General Assembly should vote on Insure Tennessee: Vanderbilt Poll, Vanderbilt University, Research News at Vanderbilt. May 2015. Accessed at: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/csdi/May2015VUPollResultsSLIDES.pdf

⁵³Schott, B. Poll: Majority of Utahns Support ‘Right-to-Die’ Legislation: December 2015. Accessed at: http://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/7910-poll-majority-of-utahns-support-right-to-die-legislation

⁵⁴95% of Utah adults are either Christians of various denominations (73%) or do not identify with any religion (22%), while 4% represent non-Christian faiths, including Jewish (<1%) Muslim (1%), Budbhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%), and other faiths (2%), according a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at:  https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/utah/

⁵⁵Aid in Dying Polling Results. Momentum Analysis. Vermont. May 2012. Accessed at: bit.ly/VTCTMAMomentumAnalsisMAIDpoll2012

⁵⁶Christopher Newport University Wason Center for Civic Leadership. The results of this poll are based on 701 interviews of registered Virginia voters, conducted January 26 – February 15, 2022. Accessed at: bit.ly/WasonCtrVApollMAID2022

⁵⁷94% of Virginia adults are either Christians of various denominations (73%), do not identify with any religion (20%) or Jewish (1%), while 6% represent non-Christian faiths, including Muslim (1%), Buddhist (1%), Hindu (<1%), other World religions (<1%) and other faiths (1%), according to a 2015 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study. Accessed at: https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/virginia/

⁵⁸The Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University conducted this survey (n=906) via landline and cell phone Nov. 8-22, 2020. Accessed at: bit.ly/WasonCtrVApollMAID2020

⁵⁹DC - Death With Dignity, 400 Likely 2016 Voters, District of Columbia July 2015, Question 3. Accessed at: bit.ly/DCLakeResearchMAIDpoll2015Toplines