Policies on dying: Assisted suicide in Germany
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper studies the effect of exposing German individuals to real-life cases on attitudes toward the legalization of assisted suicide. We find that support for legalizing assisted suicide changes in 21 % of our sample. Among those who strongly favor the policy, support weakens when they encounter real-life cases, as their confidence in their opinions diminishes. Respondents who oppose are less likely to shift to strongly oppose. We also find that the change in opinion due to exposure to cases is mediated by respondents' prior beliefs on the cases’ outcome. We also explore the reasons why some respondents do not change their opinions. We find that respondents more likely to change their support are those who attribute lower credibility to the information provided. • The study surveyed 3095 German respondents in March 2024, representing the population in terms of sex, age, income, and state of residence. • 21 % of respondents changed their level of support for legalized assisted suicide after being presented with real-life cases or general knowledge and opinion questions. • Exposure to real-life cases did not significantly change overall support levels, although it decreased the likelihood of changing from more moderate positions to stronger ones. • Respondents' prior beliefs and knowledge about assisted suicide seemed to play a larger role in determining opinion change than exposure to cases alone. • Respondents' more likely to change opinion were those who opposed legalization or were unsure, however these respondents were more skeptical of the information provided than the rest of the respondents.
Source: SSM - Population Health
Author: Carmen Sainz Villalba
Institution: Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,930
OpenAlex ID: W4409197840