ENGLISH: Impact of Religiosity on Attitude towards Euthanasia: A Myth or a Fact

Abstract

The study was primarily aimed to explore the impact of level of religiosity one’s have on his/her attitude towards euthanasia. It also compared the attitude of medical personnel (doctors and nurses), terminal patients and their significant others, and general population towards euthanasia. The sample of 300 respondents was divided into four groups including: medical personnel (n= 50 for doctors and n= 50 for Nurses); terminal patients and their significant others (n=50); and the general population (n=150). The study following the cross-sectional correlational research design indicated significant correlation between level of religiosity and the attitude towards euthanasia. Results also indicated that religiosity have significant predictive impact on one’s attitude towards euthanasia but only its religious faith and religious influence subscales significantly predict this. Findings further indicated that general population showed relatively more favorable attitude towards euthanasia than medical personnel and terminal patients and their significant others.