The Uruguayan consulting firm Cifra conducted a national telephone survey throughout the country (806 interviewees), where it repeated a question that was asked two years ago, obtaining almost the same results. 55% agree with legalizing euthanasia in Uruguay and 25% oppose it. To this is added a 20% that has not taken a position.
Euthanasia is an issue that has been discussed in the country for some time, with bills that have been modified, discussions and groups that support and oppose it. The Health Commission received new delegations to issue an opinion on the euthanasia and medically assisted suicide law. The will of the parliamentary group goes through the merger of two projects on the matter, which meets resistance in a sector of the coalition. However, despite the debates and statements by opinion leaders, public opinion has not changed its position in the last two years.
Cifra reported that support is majority among all population groups, although some groups are more divided than others. The formation of opinions has also remained stable over time. The people of Montevideo are more inclined to legalize euthanasia than the inhabitants of the interior, and the younger ones support this change more than the older ones. The only group where less than half support euthanasia is that of people with less formal education, among whom only 38% are in favor and almost a third are against. At the other extreme, among people with tertiary education, support for legalization is very much the majority, at 69%.
political and religious ideologies
The political shirt, although not as much as on other issues: support for its legalization is 55% among coalition voters and 63% among supporters of the Broad Front. Ideology weighs even more: half of those who identify with the center or the right are in favor, but support is much stronger among those who feel on the left, since two thirds of them believe that it should be legalized.
Religion is another factor: among those who do not consider themselves religious, 65% support the legalization of euthanasia, while among believers (of any religion) only 44% do so. However, even among believers who oppose it are a minority, 34%.
“Ultimately, euthanasia is an issue on which the majority of the population has taken a position, and it is very stable over time,” concluded the consultant.
