Every single constituency in Great Britain supports assisted dying – find out what your constituents think.
Results from the largest ever public poll released this week find that in every single constituency in Great Britain, a majority of voters support the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
Search using the map below to find the level of support in your constituency:
Polling and MRP analysis conducted by Opinium and commissioned by Dignity in Dying finds that every constituency in Great Britain, based on the new electoral boundaries, has a majority of support. Over two-thirds of constituencies record over 75% public support, demonstrating the once again the longstanding and widespread strength of feeling across the British public.
Assisted dying is supported across the UK
The research published this week is the largest and most in-depth opinion poll on assisted dying in this country. The polling used the same method that has accurately predicted recent elections results. In every single constituency a majority of the public is crying out for law change.
Opinium gathered responses from 10,897 adults across the UK between 9th and 22nd February 2024 on a range of issues relating to assisted dying. It found:
75% of people in the UK support the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
Support for assisted dying is consistently high: Conservative (78%), Labour (77%), Lib Dem (77%), SNP (83%), Plaid Cymru (84%), Green (79%) and Reform (78%) voters are all overwhelmingly supportive of assisted dying. Remain and Leave voters hold the same supportive view on assisted dying.
Assisted dying is supported across society: regardless of respondents’ age, gender, region or socio-economic status, support is consistently high. People of faith support assisted dying by a large margin: 66% in favour to 22% against.
People who identified as having a disability were even more strongly in favour (78%) of assisted dying than the average across the general public.
It’s clear assisted dying is firmly on the electorate’s agenda – and voters will be raising it with candidates. This polling is clear that from Red Wall to Blue Wall, constituencies across Great Britain want a better, safer, kinder law for dying people.
This polling should give any MP, or incoming MP, confidence to engage in this debate knowing that whether left wing or right wing or anywhere in between, their constituents are crying out for this reform.
Having an assisted death in Switzerland is out of reach for most people.
Most people could not afford to travel to Switzerland to have an assisted death, for instance at Dignitas, where the costs of applying, travel, and medical appointments are likely to amount to around £15,000. 54% of people said they could not afford this, while 28% of people could. This makes assisted dying an issue of fairness: those who are wealthy and well enough to make the journey to Dignitas have the option to control their deaths, while the majority cannot.
FIND OUT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS COULD OR COULD NOT AFFORD DIGNITASA new assisted dying law would be safer than what we have now
A clear majority of people (63%) thought a safeguarded assisted dying law, with appropriate checks and oversight, would be safer than the existing law. Only 11% of people thought the blanket ban on assisted dying was safer.
The law at the moment in this country is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering
Celebrated broadcaster and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen revealed in December that she is considering traveling to Switzerland for an assisted death following a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer. In a message relayed by her daughter, journalist and presenter Rebecca Wilcox, at a parliamentary reception, Dame Esther said:
“The law at the moment in this country is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people. I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonizing deaths of those they loved. Please make time to debate this life and death issue.”
Rebecca Wilcox appealed to MPs and candidates to recognise the impact of failing to act, and to listen to the groundswell of public support for assisted dying reform:
“We are in an intolerable situation made worse by the confusion in the rules and the lack of empathy in our lawmakers. Why is it that they are asking people at the most stressful, difficult and impossibly demanding time of their lives to work out escape plans from the type of painful, insupportable death that the UK is insisting upon?
“We don’t wish to impose this on anyone, but we want everyone to have the choice. And we need a proper parliamentary debate with a free vote to achieve it. Any further delay merely prolongs the agony for dying people. Please, listen to the public, your voters. Don’t delay, do the right thing.”
For more information:
Contact Tom Davies, Director of Parliamentary and Legal Policy, Dignity in Dying