Polls show drop in public support for assisted suicide

New polling in England and Wales shows a drop in support for assisted suicide.

Ironically, the polling was commissioned and funded by the pro-assisted suicide lobby, led by Dignity in Dying (DiD), formerly the 'Voluntary Euthanasia Society'.

Polling by DiD in 2019 showed 84% of the public in England and Wales were supportive of assisted suicide being legalised.

But the more recent poll shows this figure has dropped to 78%. Strong support for assisted suicide is only 39%.

Tracking by the pollster YouGov reveals support for assisted suicide is hovering around the 67% mark, which is 10% lower than DiD's new poll.

Dignity in Dying's approach to polling has been heavily criticised by two experts from the respected Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University who said previous polling by the group was 'skewed and dangerous'.

In 2014, a poll commissioned by CARE showed support for assisted suicide drops dramatically to under 50% when people are shown the key arguments against changing the current law.

At the moment, assisted suicide is illegal in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, Liam McArthur MSP is due to introduce a private members bill to legalise assisted suicide. But First Minister Humza Yousaf and Health Secretary Michael Matheson have said they're opposed to it.

House of Keys representatives on the Isle of Man are also due to debate an assisted suicide bill in the coming weeks.