MaltaToday survey shows majority support voluntary euthanasia

SUMMARY

Support for voluntary euthanasia stands at 49.5%, while a fifth of voters are undecided, according to a MaltaToday survey.

Among those who have made up their mind on the topic, support for euthanasia for the terminally ill rises to a staggering 63%.

The survey asked people whether they agreed with the proposal put forward for consultation by the government last year—voluntary assisted euthanasia should be made available to terminally ill adult patients who have been given six months to live by doctors.

The results show that support for the proposal is just shy of an absolute majority (49.5%), while 29.1% of voters are against. A further 21.5% are undecided.

Support for euthanasia is strongest among 36- to 50-year-olds (61.2%), while a relative majority of pensioners are against (45%).

A breakdown of figures by political allegiance shows that a relative majority of PN voters favour euthanasia (44%), while 55% of PL voters are in favour of the reform. Compared to last year, support for euthanasia has increased among PN voters and declined among PL voters.

The survey also shows that a relative majority of 47.2% also support voluntary assisted euthanasia for adults suffering from neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, even if these have more than six months to live.

But the survey also shows a relative majority (42.5%) opposed to allowing euthanasia for any patient suffering from a painful condition or illness.

WHAT MALTA THINKS ON EUTHANASIA

The second MaltaToday survey since the government issued its White Paper proposing voluntary assisted euthanasia indicates that half of Maltese respondents agree with assisted euthanasia.

Respondents were asked whether persons suffering from a terminal illness and given six months to live by doctors should have the legal right to end their life with medical assistance, as proposed in a government consultation document last year.

The survey shows that just under half of respondents (49.5%) agree with the proposal, 29.1% are opposed, and a substantial 21.5% are still undecided.

When considering the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, this means that support for the bill could range between 46% and 54%.

This is roughly the same level of support registered in a similar MaltaToday survey held a year ago. Since then, the victorious Labour Party has committed itself to holding a referendum on the topic as part of its 2026 electoral manifesto.

As was the case last year, the 2026 survey shows that less than a third are opposed, but a fifth of the electorate are undecided on the issue.

When the undecided are removed from the equation, support for euthanasia increases to 63%, which is close to a staggering two-thirds majority. But considering the difficult ethical dilemmas surrounding the argument, the undecided could still have a pivotal role in a future referendum on the subject.

Political and generational divides

The survey shows that an absolute majority of PL voters (55%) and a relative majority of PN voters (44%) support the introduction of voluntary assisted euthanasia.

Compared to last year, support for euthanasia has increased by 13 points among PN voters but has decreased by seven points among PL voters.

A relative majority of non-voters (47%) in the last general election also support euthanasia. Support for euthanasia among this category has dropped by three points.

Although the survey suggests a greater political convergence on the subject compared to last year, the survey shows that euthanasia remains a more divisive issue among PN voters. The PN cohort includes a stronger minority (35%) who are opposed to euthanasia for the terminally ill.

The survey also shows a generational divide on euthanasia, with a relative majority of over-65-year-olds (45%) opposed to its introduction against 31% supporting it.

On the other hand, support for euthanasia is highest among 36- to 50-year-olds (62%) and under-35-year-olds (57%). Support drops to 53% among 51- to 64-year-olds and to 31% among pensioners.

Support for euthanasia is also stronger among those who continued their studies after secondary school, peaking at 61% among those with post-secondary education and decreasing slightly to 52% among those with a tertiary education.

In contrast, among those with only a secondary level of education, support falls to 48%. A relative majority (35%) of those with a primary education, a category which includes pensioners, are opposed.

The survey also shows greater opposition to euthanasia among women. While only 26% of men oppose euthanasia and 54% are in favour, 32% of women oppose euthanasia and 45% support the proposal.

Support highest in South-east, lowest in Gozo

A relative majority supports the introduction of euthanasia for the terminally ill in all six regions but varies from 44% in Gozo to 54% in the Labour-leaning South-east region.  In the North Harbour, which is the most populous, 53% support the introduction of euthanasia for the terminally ill.

The survey suggests a shift in opinion in Gozo, where a relative majority (48%) were opposed to euthanasia in last year’s survey. Opposition to euthanasia in Gozo has now dropped to 25%. The breakdown by region is only indicative, since it is based on a smaller sample and has a higher margin of error.

Relative majority of Catholics support euthanasia

For the first time MaltaToday is providing a breakdown of opinions on euthanasia according to the declared religious or ethical beliefs of respondents.

The most startling finding is that a relative majority of practising Catholics (40%) agrees with the introduction of euthanasia for the terminally ill, while 36% are opposed to it. This suggests that a considerable number of Catholics would defy the church’s official teachings in a future referendum. But the survey shows that among this category, 24% are still undecided.

The survey also shows that 72% of non-practising Catholics—those who identify with the religion but do not attend mass and other religious functions—support the introduction of euthanasia.

Support is highest among atheists and agnostics (80%) and those who believe in a deity but do not belong to a particular religion (88%). Opposition to euthanasia is highest among Muslims (100%) and among those belonging to other Christian denominations (56%), but these figures are based on a very limited sample and should be treated with caution.

Majority favour euthanasia for patients with neurodegenerative diseases

The MaltaToday survey also assessed opinions on extending access to euthanasia to patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are challenging because decline is unpredictable, making six-month life expectancy estimates difficult and uncertain for euthanasia eligibility decisions.

With this in mind, the question posed to respondents was whether “adults who may have more than six months to live but are suffering from a neurodegenerative disease which progressively weakens them until death, have a right to end their life with the help of a doctor.”

The survey suggests that support for euthanasia in this case is just three points lower than that for euthanasia for terminally ill patients with a more definitive prognosis on life expectancy. In this case, while 47% agree with access to euthanasia, only 31% are opposed.

Once again, opposition to euthanasia is mostly concentrated among over-65-year-olds, 45% of whom are opposed to assisted dying in this circumstance. In contrast, 62% of 36- to 50-year-olds agree. Even in this circumstance, Labour voters (53%) are more likely to agree with assisted dying than PN voters (41%). Yet in both categories, a relative majority supports euthanasia in this case.

Practising Catholics are divided between 38% who agree with assisted dying in this case and 36% who disagree. But an overwhelming majority of non-practising Catholics (66%) agrees with extending euthanasia to patients with degenerative diseases.

Majority against euthanasia for non-terminally ill patients

Respondents were also asked whether they agree with assisted dying for patients suffering from a painful condition which does not result in death. The results show that 43% are opposed to this more liberal approach to euthanasia. Only 29% agree with assisted dying in such cases, while 29% are undecided.

But, in a sign of changing views, a relative majority of 16- to 35-year-olds (38%) and 36- to 50-year-olds (38%) agree with extending access to euthanasia to all patients with a painful condition who decide to terminate their life. In contrast, support for euthanasia drops to 26% among 51- to 64-year-olds and to just 16% among pensioners.

A relative majority of both PN and PL voters are opposed to this more liberal approach. But while 32% of PL voters agree with euthanasia in such cases, support drops to just 25% among PN voters.

A breakdown by religious belief points at a sharp divergence in opinions between practising Catholics, among whom only 25% agree with assisted dying in cases where a person is not facing death, and non-practising Catholics, among whom 39% agree. Support rises to 67% among atheists and agnostics, while believers in a deity who do not belong to any religion are split.