Views on Assisted Suicide and Religious Beliefs

After the Austrian constitutional court decided to legalise assisted suicide, we conducted this cross-sectional survey study to assess how persons living in Austria viewed the decision, and whether their views associated with religious and/or moral beliefs. We found that persons claiming to be religious were significantly less likely to approve of the court's decision. They also advocated for significantly stricter regulations than non-religious respondents. When asked to give reasons for their response, several religious respondents cited their religious beliefs, highlighting that there is often an association between stronger religious beliefs and less favourable views on assisted suicide.

The Color of Death; An Exploration of the Effect of Race and Religion Dimensions on Attitudes toward Euthanasia

We examined the moderating role of race on the relationship between religion and euthanasia attitudes in the United States. Understanding the role of religion in attitudes toward euthanasia requires viewing religion as a multidimensional construct. In this study, four dimensions operationalized religion: religiosity, spirituality, afterlife beliefs (afterlife, heaven, and hell), and religious denomination. Using data from 1066 adults interviewed in the 2018 General Social Survey, a logistic regression showed that the impact of each dimension of religion varies across racial groups. Adding race as an interaction term moderated the effect of religion dimensions on people's attitudes toward euthanasia. Although most studies have shown a negative influence of religion, we found that not all dimensions of religion have a negative association with opposition to euthanasia and the role of each dimension differs based on individuals' race. We also found that any comprehensive understanding of the role of religion in shaping euthanasia attitudes should consider the moderating effect of race.

Faith and fate: Religious leaders' Bible, heaven, hell beliefs and end-of-life choices

Controversies surrounding end-of-life choices may be due to differences in congregational affiliation and beliefs about the Bible, heaven, and hell. Focusing on religious leaders (N = 1541), this study investigated how these factors are associated with attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide, allowing a patient to die by withholding treatment, and withdrawing treatment in favor of pain relief. Religious leaders affiliated with White liberal or moderate denominations were more supportive of these end-of-life choices compared to those affiliated with Roman Catholic; White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist; and Black Protestant congregations. Literalist view of the Bible and belief in hell were significantly associated with less support across the three choices, whereas belief in heaven was significantly associated with less support for only physician-assisted suicide. This study highlights the varying significance of religious beliefs in understanding variations in views on end-of-life choices and sheds light on the moral distinction associated with various choices.

Dimensions of religion and attitudes toward euthanasia

Understanding the role of religion in attitudes toward euthanasia requires viewing religion as a multidimensional construct. In this study, four dimensions operationalized religion: religiosity, spirituality, afterlife beliefs (afterlife, heaven, and hell), and religious denomination. Using data from 1066 adults interviewed in the 2018 General Social Survey, a logistic regression showed religiosity, belief in afterlife and heaven, and religious denomination were significantly associated with opposition to euthanasia. Although most studies have shown a negative influence of religion, we found that not all dimensions of religion have a negative association with opposition to euthanasia and the role of each dimension differs.