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Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

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CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 20-25, 2006. N=1,229 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

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"If a person has a disease that will ultimately destroy their mind or body and they want to take their own life, should a doctor be allowed to assist the person in taking their own life, or not?"

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"Which comes closer to your view? In all circumstances, doctors and nurses should do everything possible to save the life of a patient. OR, Sometimes there are circumstances where a patient should be allowed to die." N=1,500, MoE ± 3

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"In some states, it's legal to stop medical treatment that is keeping a terminally ill patient alive, or never start the treatment in the first place, if that's what the patient wants. Do you approve or disapprove of laws that let PATIENTS decide about being kept alive through medical treatment?" Form 1 (N=748, MoE ± 4)

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"In some states, it's legal for doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs that a terminally ill patient could use themselves to commit suicide. Do you approve or disapprove of laws that let doctors assist patients who want to end their lives this way?" Form 2 (N=752, MoE ± 4)

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"Do you think a person has a moral right to end his or her own life under any of the following circumstances? First, [see below]?" N=1,500, MoE ± 3

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"When this person has a disease that is incurable"

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"When this person is suffering great pain and has no hope of improvement"

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"When this person is an extremely heavy burden on his or her family"

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"When this person is ready to die because living has become a burden"

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"I have a few more questions on this subject, and some may be hard for you to think about. Because of the importance of these issues, we very much appreciate your honest answers. If there's any question that you really don't want to answer, please just tell me.
  
"If a patient with a terminal disease is unable to communicate and has not made his or her own wishes known in advance, should the closest family member be allowed to decide whether to continue medical treatment, or should a family member not be allowed to make this decision?" N=1,500, MoE ± 3

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"We sometimes hear of cases where a person has killed a spouse because the husband or wife was suffering terrible pain from a terminal disease. Do you think the actions of these people are never justified, sometimes justified, or always justified?" Form 1 (N=748, MoE ± 4)

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"We sometimes hear of cases where a person has helped a spouse commit suicide because the husband or wife was suffering terrible pain from a terminal disease. Do you think the actions of these people are never justified, sometimes justified, or always justified?" Form 2 (N=752, MoE ± 4)

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"Which political party -- the Republican Party or the Democratic Party -- do you think could do a better job of dealing with issues related to end-of-life decisions?" N=1,500, MoE ± 3

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"Under this system, do you think it should be legal or illegal for doctors to help terminally ill patients commit suicide by giving them a prescription for fatal drugs?" Asked of half the sample (Form B)

The Harris Poll. Dec. 14-19, 2001. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you think that the law should allow doctors to comply with the wishes of a dying patient in severe distress who asks to have his or her life ended, or not?"

"In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individuals do not have a constitutional right to doctor-assisted suicide. Do you agree or disagree with this decision?"

"In 1994, people in Oregon voted on a proposition that would allow doctor-assisted suicides for patients with less than six months to live. Doctors would be allowed to help patients to commit suicide -- but only if ALL of the three following conditions were met: (a) The patient requests it three times. (b) There is a second opinion from another doctor. (c) There is a 15-day waiting period for the patient to change his or her mind. Would you favor or oppose such a law in your state?"

"This proposition, allowing physician-assisted suicide, was approved by a majority in Oregon. Attorney General Ashcroft recently moved to overrule the proposition, which he says is now illegal. Do you think Attorney General Ashcroft was right or wrong to do this?"

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