Euthanasia—the act of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering—is currently illegal under English law. In fact, the act is legal in just six countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Canada, and New Zealand.
The latest poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies shows that a majority (55%) of the British public would support the legalisation of euthanasia in the UK, while 15% would oppose.
Legalising euthanasia is supported by a majority of all age groups except 18-to-24-year-olds, of whom 40% support, a plurality, and 26% oppose legalisation. Support is particularly high among respondents aged 55 to 64 (65%) and ranges between 55% to 58% among the other age groups.
A majority of both 2019 Conservative voters and 2019 Labour voters say they would support the legalisation of euthanasia, though the proportion of Conservative voters (60%) is considerably greater than the proportion of Labour voters (51%) who support legalisation. This could possibly be a reflection of the younger average age of Labour voters.
It therefore appears that a move to legalise euthanasia in the UK would be supported by a significant share of the public, across age groups and political positions. That being said, it would first require a major political party to champion the legalisation of euthanasia, which none currently do.
