Every Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain Backs Assisted Dying Law, new polling confirms

• Biggest ever public poll conducted on assisted dying confirms every single constituency supports law change
• Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said that they would support making it lawful for someone to seek assisted dying in the UK, with just 14% against
• Support for changing the law consistently high regardless of voters’ political affiliation

The vast majority of voters of every political hue, in every parliamentary constituency in England and Wales, support a change in the law on assisted dying, according to the largest and most in-depth public polling ever conducted on the issue, released today (Monday 11th March 2024).

The polling, using the same method that has accurately predicted the results of several recent elections, was carried out by Opinium Research on behalf of Dignity in Dying, and canvassed the views of more than 10,000 people across the UK. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said that they would support making it lawful for dying adults to access assisted dying in the UK, with only around one in eight people (14%) stating that they would oppose such a move.

The results of the poll were modelled for every constituency in Great Britain on the new electoral boundaries. In more than half of the 632 constituencies modelled¹, public support for assisted dying was at least 77%, with the highest levels of support reported in Brighton Pavilion (85%), Bath (83%) and York Central (83%).

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 this evening, 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 added:

“We are in an intolerable situation made worse by the confusion in the rules and the lack of empathy in our law makers. 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 have received a huge outpouring of messages of support from the public, politicians and other high-profile figures who agree with us. In fact, this survey of all the Great Britain constituencies reported a majority in favour of assisted dying being legalised. We don’t wish to impose this on anyone, but we want everyone to have the choice and we will need a proper parliamentary debate with a free vote to achieve this.”

These findings come at a pivotal moment for efforts to legalise assisted dying in the UK, after the first ever Commons inquiry into the issue confirmed in February that these laws are already working well around the world, with robust safeguards, a positive impact on palliative care and no evidence of a ‘slippery slope’ where terminally ill people are given the choice.

In recent months, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have both pledged that they will allow time for the next Parliament to consider assisted dying, should they win the upcoming General Election. A Government petition spearheaded by Dignity in Dying and Dame Esther Rantzen – who revealed in December that she had joined Dignitas following a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer – for a free vote on the issue has gathered more than 150,000 signatures since its launch in January.

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying said:

“As the country heads into what is likely to be a watershed General Election, all candidates need to be clear that assisted dying law reform is on the electorate’s agenda. Voters of all political hues will be watching candidates carefully: will they listen to constituents and champion much-needed change, or will they stand by a law that is unsafe, unfair and over 60 years out of date? From the Red Wall to the Blue Wall, constituencies want a better, safer, kinder law for dying people.

“That’s because voters have seen first-hand how urgent the need for reform is. They have watched helplessly as a loved one suffered as they died, beyond the reach of palliative care, while others have been left with lasting trauma after a terminally ill relative or friend felt forced to take matters into their own hands. Loving family members have endured the stress of police interviews and investigations simply for accompanying someone to Switzerland – an option that most people in this country would not be able to afford.

“In every constituency in England and Wales, there is an unshakeable majority of support for a compassionate assisted dying law, with tight safeguards that would benefit and protect dying people and improve end-of-life care as a whole. That support is consistently high whether voters intend voting for Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrat or any other party. Political manifestos should reflect the electorate’s wish for assisted dying to be the next great social reform and pledge a free vote and parliamentary time for this debate.”

The British public has been overwhelmingly in favour of legalising assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults for decades, with similarly high levels of support found across age groups, socioeconomic circumstances and political views.

In the Opinium polling, support for changing the law was consistently high across those who plan to vote Conservative (78%), Labour (77%), Liberal Democrat (77%), SNP (83%), Plaid Cymru (84%), Green (79%) and Reform (78%).

The polling also found a strong majority for law change among religious people, with two-thirds (66%) of those who follow a religion stating their support, including 69% of Christians and 65% of Catholics.

The polling also found:

• More than half of Brits (52%) would personally consider travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death if they were terminally ill, but less than 3 in 10 (28%) would be able to afford it, with costs skyrocketing to £15,000 in the last five years.
• Of those who had experienced the death of a loved one in the least 10 years, more than four in 10 (43%) said their relative suffered at the end of their life, with a quarter (27%) believing they would have considered assisted dying if it were legal.
• More than 6 in 10 people (63%) agree that legalising assisted dying would be safer than the current ban, with just 1 in 10 (11%) believing it would be less safe.

Assisted dying bills are being considered in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man, an inquiry in Ireland has recently recommended law change, and a bill will be introduced in France this year. Four hundred million people across Europe, North and South America and Australasia live in jurisdictions that have legalised or decriminalised assisted dying in some form.

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For further information and interviews, please contact Will Harris at Boardwalk Communications at will@the-boardwalk.co.uk, or call 07976 622965.

Notes to Editor:

Opinium conducted an online survey amongst a nationally and politically representative sample of 10,897 UK Adults between 9th to 22nd February 2024. Three questions were modelled via Multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) to produce constituency-level estimates on the new constituency boundaries.

The full breakdown of constituency level data can be found here:

1.     Do you support legalising assisted dying in the UK? 

2.     Do you want your MP to vote for legalising assisted dying?

3.     How affordable is the average £15,000 cost of assisted dying in Switzerland?

¹Excludes constituencies in Northern Ireland