Majority in Northern Ireland support introduction of assisted dying legislation

According to a recent survey by Belfast-based polling and market research company LucidTalk the majority of people in Northern Ireland support the introduction of an assisted dying legislation.

Commissioned by My Death, My Decision (Northern Ireland), 67% of those surveyed (3,443) during August said they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ support the issue.

In contrast, 28% responded ‘probably not’ and ‘definitely not’ with 5% ‘don’t know or not sure’.

The poll question asked: Would you support the legalisation of assisted dying in Northern Ireland for adults of sound mind who are terminally ill or suffering intolerably from an incurable condition? The law would include rigorous safeguards.

The results were: Definitely: 40%; Probably: 27%; Probably not: 9%; Don’t know or not sure: 5% and Definitely not:19%.

In response My Death, My Decision (Northern Ireland) welcomed this result and calls on Stormont to set up a Citizens’ Assembly, so the people of Northern Ireland can have their voices heard.

My Death, My Decision (Northern Ireland) chair Gavin Walker, said: “This is an overwhelming endorsement of our position that the people of Northern Ireland want their legislators to positively facilitate a debate on the issue of assisted dying. It is under consideration in every other jurisdiction across these islands, and it is time to begin the conversation here.

“We understand this is a very sensitive issue for legislators, and to help frame the debate we are calling for the immediate establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly as outlined in the New Decade, New Approach Deal.

"This would facilitate a wide-ranging, evidence-based discussion on the issue across our community. We need a Northern Ireland-led approach to assisted dying legislation to ensure it will include the criteria and safeguards that best reflect what our society wants.”

Trevor Moore, chair of My Death, My Decision (England and Wales), said: “This poll has revealed that the people of Northern Ireland are keen to support an assisted dying law, giving suffering people the choice of how and when their lives might end with dignity.

“In order to know what that law would look like in relation to safeguards and other key aspects, a valuable next step would be for Stormont to set up a Citizens’ Assembly. These have been used very effectively in places like France and Jersey as they allow citizens to have their say in much more depth.”

* The project was carried out online for a period of four days from August 16 to 19 2024. 3,443 full responses were received. A data auditing process was then carried out to ensure all completed poll-surveys were genuine “one-person, one-vote” responses, and this resulted in 1,051 responses being considered and verified as the base data-set (weighted and unweighted). 3,443 people responded to the question.