SECTION II
PERSPECTIVES ON DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION
TABLE 4
Organ Donation Allows Something Positive To Come Out of a Person's Death
% Strongly % Disagree/ %
Agree/ Strongly Don't Mean
Agree Disagree Know Score*
Total (n=6,127) 90% 7% 3% 3.31
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 91% 6% 2% 3.29
Female (n=3,538) 89 8 4 3.33
Age
18-24 (n=695) 89% 10% 1% 3.30
25-34 (n=1,442) 93 5 2 3.42
35-44 (n=1,465) 94 4 2 3.38
45-54 (n=889) 93 5 2 3.39
55+ (n=1,566) 84 10 6 3.16
Education
High school or less (n=2,377)85% 10% 4% 3.19
Some college (n=1,763) 96 3 1 3.44
College Graduate (n=1,922) 96 2 2 3.50
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 92% 5% 3% 3.36
Black (n=722) 74 20 5 2.94
Hispanic (n=741) 82 12 6 3.15
Support of Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 94% 4% 2% 3.39
Oppose (n=366) 51 39 10 2.60
* 4=strongly agree, 3=agree, 2=disagree, l=strongly disagree
- Virtually all respondents agree that organ donation allows
something positive to come from a person's death. Agreement with
this concept is significantly lower among the less educated
respondents.
- Black respondents are less likely than white or Hispanic
respondents to view organ donation as one positive result of a
person's death.
Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation 7
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TABLE 5
Organ Donation Helps Families Cope With Their Grief
% Strongly % Disagree/ %
Agree/ Strongly Don't Mean
Agree Disagree Know Score*
Total (n=6,127) 59% 23% 17% 2.81
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 55% 28% 17% 2.73
Female (n=3,538) 62 19 18 2.87
Age
18-24 (n=695) 50% 35% 15% 2.61
25-34 (n=1,442) 55 30 15 2.73
35-44 (n=1,465) 65 20 15 2.88
45-54 (n=889) 62 20 18 2.88
55+ (n=1,566) 60 18 21 2.86
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 59% 23% 17% 2.80
Some college (n=1,763) 59 23 18 2.81
College Graduate (n=1,922) 61 22 16 2.83
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 60% 21% 18% 2.83
Black (n=722) 47 39 14 2.60
Hispanic (n=741) 68 18 14 2.87
Support of Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 62% 20% 17% 2.86
Oppose (n=366) 46 45 10 2.51
* 4=strongly agree, 3=agree, 2=disagree, l=strongly disagree
- Although the majority of Americans believe that organ donation may
assist families in coping with the loss of a loved one, nearly
one-quarter disagree. An additional 17% are unsure of the impact
which organ donation has on the grieving process.
- Respondents who report general opposition to the concept of organ
donation are particularly negative about the impact of organ
donation on a family's efforts to work through their grief.
- Nearly two in five black respondents disagree that organ donation
helps families cope with their grief. This is a significantly higher
level of disagreement than that found among white or Hispanic
respondents.
8 Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation
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Most people who receive transplants gain additional years of healthy life.
(n=6,127)
Figure 1.
- Most Americans (85%) believe organ transplants extend the
recipient's life and that the additional years are healthy ones.
Black and Hispanic respondents tend to disagree with this statement
to a higher degree than do white respondents (% disagreement: blacks
(23%); Hispanics (15%); whites (6%).
Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation 9
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TABLE 6
Organ Transplantation is an Experimental Medical Procedure
% Strongly % Disagree/ %
Agree/ Strongly Don't Mean
Agree Disagree Know Score*
Total (n=6,127) 39% 56% 5% 2.33
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 36% 60% 4% 2.27
Female (n=3,538) 42 52 6 2.38
Age
18-24 (n=695) 42% 55% 3% 2.39
25-34 (n=1,442) 35 61 4 2.25
35-44 (n=1,465) 33 63 3 2.21
45-54 (n=889) 32 63 5 2.20
55+ (n=1,566) 48 44 7 2.51
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 47% 48% 5% 2.47
Some college (n=1,763) 33 61 6 2.24
College Graduate (n=1,922) 22 74 4 2.02
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 37% 58% 5% 2.29
Black (n=722) 54 41 5 2.58
Hispanic (n=741) 46 46 8 2.47
Support of Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 37% 59% 4% 2.28
Oppose (n=366) 57 37 5 2.67
* 4=strongly agree, 3=agree, 2=disagree, l=strongly disagree
- Though the majority of Americans do not view organ donation as an
experimental procedure, nearly two in five do hold this view.
Education appears to be strongly correlated with belief that organ
transplantation is experimental. More than half (57%) of those who
oppose organ donation indicate they believe it is an experimental
procedure.
- The majority of black respondents and nearly half of Hispanics
think organ transplantation is experimental, results substantially
higher than for white respondents.
10 Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation
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TABLE 7
Most of the People Who Need an Organ Transplant Receive a Transplant
% Strongly % Disagree/ %
Agree/ Strongly Donot Mean
Agree Disagree Know Score*
Total (n=6,127) 20% 68% 12% 2.10
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 20% 67% 12% 2.15
Female (n=3,538) 20 69 11 2.05
Age
18-24 (n=695) 32% 54% 14% 2.34
25-34 (n=1,442) 19 72 9 2.07
35-44 (n=1,465) 14 74 12 1.99
45-54 (n=889) 12 75 13 1.95
55+ (n=1,566) 24 63 13 2.16
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 27% 62% 12% 2.20
Some college (n=1,763) 12 76 12 1.97
College Graduate (n=1,922) 10 79 12 1.92
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 18% 70% 12% 2.06
Black (n=722) 32 58 10 2.29
Hispanic (n=741) 38 49 12 2.38
Support of Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 19% 70% 11% 2.07
Oppose (n=366) 32 55 14 2.30
* 4=strongly agree, 3=agree, 2=disagree, l=strongly disagree
- More than two-thirds of Americans believe that most people who
need transplants do not receive them. One in five (20%) appear to
believe that the supply of donor organs is adequate for the demand.
This misconception was particularly prevalent among those who oppose
the concept of organ donation.
- A higher proportion of nonwhite than white respondents believe
people who need transplants receive them.
Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation 11
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TABLE 8
Percentage of Respondents Who Would Accept An Organ Transplant
Percent
Total (n=6,127) 79%
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 82%
Female (n=3,538) 76
Age
18-24 (n=695) 87%
25-34 (n=1,442) 87
35-44 (n=1,465) 90
45-54 (n=889) 86
55+ (n=1,566) 62
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 74%
Some college (n=1,763) 84
College graduate (n=1,922) 89
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 81%
Black (n=722) 68
Hispanic (n=741) 77
Support for Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 85%
Oppose (n=366) 46
- Nearly four in five Americans would accept a needed organ
transplant. Nearly half (46%) of respondents who initially indicated
opposition to organ donation indicate they would accept one if
necessary. A similar percentage (43%), however, indicate they would
not accept an organ transplant in order to regain their health.
- Black respondents are less willing to accept an organ transplant
than are Hispanic or white respondents.
12 Perspectives on Donation and Transplantation
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