Individualism, authoritarianism, and attitudes toward assisted death: cross-cultural, cross-regional, and experimental evidence.
We hypothesized that in individualistic cultures, individualism predicts positive attitudes toward assisted death, whereas authoritarianism is negatively associated with favorable views of this issue. Study 1 confirmed this hypothesis in a Polish sample (n=100). Study 2, using a German sample (n=102), found the predicted relationships for forms of assisted death that involved the individual self-determination of a terminally ill patient. In Study 3 (n=72), we found experimental evidence that priming individualistic aspects of the self-concept results in more favorable views of physician-assisted suicide. Using a representative sample (n=1158), Study 4 found that across the United States, regional levels of individualism are reflected in corresponding patterns of support for assisted suicide. The discussion focuses on assisted suicide as a cultural phenomenon and explores the implications of growing levels of individualism for public opinion and policy on assisted suicide.
Kemmelmeier
Markus
M
Department of Sociology, Mail Stop 300, Unviersity of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557. markusk@unr.edu
Wieczorkowska
Grazyna
G
Erb
Hans-Peter
HP
Burnstein
Eugene
E
D001290:Attitude; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D028601:Euthanasia, Active / Q000523:psychology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011044:Poland; D011639:Public Opinion; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012297:Right to Die; D012945:Social Values; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States