SECTION IV
IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY COMMUNICATION
TABLE 13
Most Members of Your Family Support The Idea of Organ Donation
% Strongly% Disagree/ %
Agree/ Strongly Don't Mean
Agree Disagree Know Score*
Total (n=6,127) 51% 20% 27% 2.83
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 52% 19% 26% 2.85
Female (n=3,538) 50 21 28 2.82
Age
18-24 (n=695) 53% 25% 20% 2.75
25-34 (n=1,442) 56 22 22 2.84
35-44 (n=1,465) 59 22 18 2.86
45-54 (n=889) 56 17 26 2.95
55+ (n=1,566) 40 18 38 2.77
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 44% 24% 31% 2.69
Some college (n=1,763) 68 18 20 2.94
College Graduate (n=1,922) 63 13 22 3.09
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 54% 16% 27% 2.92
Black (n=722) 26 48 24 2.28
Hispanic (n=741) 36 33 28 2.46
Support of Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 57% 16% 25% 2.95
Oppose (n=366) 17 56 22 2.09
* 4=strongly agree, 3=agree, 2=disagree, l=strongly disagree
- The majority of Americans believe their families support the idea
of organ donation. The more than one-quarter (27%) who indicate they
don't know their family's position on organ donation underscores the
lack of family discussion on the topic. Among respondents who
themselves indicate opposition to the concept of organ donation,
more than half report that their family does not support the concept.
- Nonwhite respondents, particularly blacks, are more likely to
report their families oppose organ donation.
Importance of Family Communication 17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is important for people to tell their families whether or not they
would want their organs to be donated after death.
(n=6,127)
Figure 2.
- Virtually all Americans agree that it is important for families to
discuss whether or not they want their organs donated upon their
death. However, as Tables 14 and 15 suggest, a substantial
proportion of Americans have not acted on this belief.
18 Importance of Family Communication
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you told some member of your family about your wish to
donate your organs after your death?" (Asked of respondents who
reported themselves likely to wish to become an organ donor)
TABLE 14
Percentage of Respondents Who Have Told Family Members of
Their Wish to be an Organ Donor
% Yes
Total (n=4,349) 52%
Gender
Male (n=1,848) 46%
Female (n=2,501) 57
Age
18-24 (n=517) 39%
25-34 (n=1,113) 52
35-44 (n=1,159) 58
45-54 (n=683) 51
55+ (n=850) 52
Education
High school or less (n=1,424) 44%
Some college (n=1,348) 56
College graduate (n=1,554) 63
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=3,605) 54%
Black (n=378) 26
Hispanic (n=485) 54
- Although more than half of respondents likely to donate their
organs have expressed their feelings to family members, a nearly
equal proportion have not done so. This is an especially important
finding since family permission is required for organs to be
donated. As Table 16 will reflect, the large majority of those who
have not yet discussed their wishes with family members are in fact
willing to do so. Recalculated for all respondents willing to donate
their organs, more than nine in ten (94%) have or are willing to
discuss their wishes with family members. Efforts to promote such
discussions appear to be crucial to increasing the supply of
potential organ donors.
- Although there is virtually no difference in reported likelihood
to donate organs between males and females, women likely to donate
their own organs are significantly more likely to have informed
their family members of that wish than are men.
- Potential black donors are also much less likely than white or
Hispanic respondents to have told family members of this wish.
Importance of Family Communication 19
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you told some member of your family about your wish NOT to
donate your organs after your death?"
(Asked of those who reported themselves unlikely to wish to become
an organ donor)
TABLE 15
Percentage of Respondents Who Have Told Family Members
of Their Wish Not to Become an Organ Donor
%
Yes
Total (n=1,333) 32%
Gender
Male (n=556) 27%
Female (n=777) 36
Age
18-24 (n=142) 42%
25-34 (n=260) 34
35-44 (n=235) 30
45-54 (n=152) 48
55+ (n=517) 26
Education
High school or less (n=719) 30%
Some college (n=321) 45
College graduate (n=265) 24
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=902) 30%
Black (n=259) 38
Hispanic (n=203) 41
Support for Organ Donation
Support (n=759) 26%
Oppose (n=298) 47
- Respondents who have decided they do not want their organs donated
are much less likely to have discussed that decision with their
family than are respondents who do wish to donate their organs. Less
than one-third of respondents who at this time do not wish their
organs donated have so indicated to their family.
- Nonwhite respondents are more likely than white respondents to
have told their family of their wish not to be an organ donor.
20 Importance of Family Communication
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"How willing are you to discuss your wishes about organ donation
with your family? Would you say very willing, somewhat willing, not
very willing or not at all willing?" (Asked of those who have not
discussed wishes with family)
TABLE 16
Willingness to Discuss Organ Donation Wishes With Family Members
Likely Not Likely
to Donate to Donate
Response (n=1,905) (n=899)
Very willing 36% 23%
Somewhat willing 53 35
Not very willing 7 13
Not at all willing 3 23
Don't know 2 4
Mean 3.24 2.62
- Nearly all (89%) respondents likely to donate who have not
discussed their desire with family members expressed willingness to
have that discussion.
- Only one-quarter of respondents unlikely to donate organs have
expressed their wishes to family members. Nearly three-fifths (58%)
of those who have not yet discussed their desire not to participate
in organ donation indicated they were willing to express those
feelings to their family.
- Black and Hispanic respondents are especially reticent about
family discussions regarding organ donation -- 28% of blacks and 29%
of Hispanics who have not discussed the issue are unwilling to do
so, compared to 17% of white respondents.
Importance of Family Communication 21
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Is there a particular reason why you are unwilling to discuss organ
donation with your family? What reason?"
(Asked of respondents unwilling to discuss their wish to donate (not
donate) their organs with family members)
TABLE 17
Reasons for Unwillingness to Discuss Organ Donation Wishes With Family
Likely to Not Likely
Donate to Donate
Response (n=207) (n=321)
Don't discuss death/makes nervous 13% 4%
Family wouldn't understand 5 1
Family believes people buried whole 5
I'm too young 4
Not in good health 2 5
Personal/none of their business 1 2
It's their decision - 3
Other 15 12
Don't know/haven't given much thought/
no reason/not applicable 55 73
- Respondents who are likely to donate their organs after death but
who are unwilling to discuss this wish with their family indicate a
general reluctance to discuss issues surrounding death. However, the
majority (55%) indicate no particular reason for their reluctance to
discuss the issue of organ donation with their family.
- Nearly three-quarters of respondents who are not likely to donate
their organs and are unwilling to discuss the issue with family
members indicate no particular reason for their reluctance.
- One in five Hispanic respondents (21%) unwilling to discuss organ
donation with their families indicated they do not discuss death.
Nearly four in five black respondents (79%) who are unwilling to
have such discussions gave no reason for their response.
22 Importance of Family Communication
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Has any member of your family told you about their wish to donate
or not to donate their organs after death?"
TABLE 18
Percentage of Respondents Whose Family Member(s) Has Told Their Wishes
About Organ Donation
% Have
Discussed
Total (n=6,023) 29 %
Gender
Male (n=2,544) 28%
Female (n=3,479) 30
Age
18-24 (n=690) 29%
25-34 (n=1,436) 31
35-44 (n=1,449) 38
45-54 (n=876) 33
55+ (n=1,505) 20
Education
High school or less (n=2,334) 23%
Some college (n=1,731) 36
College graduate (n=1,893) 41
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,730) 31%
Black (n=711) 16
Hispanic (n=735) 19
Support for Organ Donation
Support (n=5,155) 31%
Oppose (n=363) 27
* Respondents who had given a "not applicable" response when asked
earlier whether or not they had made a personal decision about the
donation of family members' organs were excluded from this question
- The results of Table 18 further reflect a substantial lack of
critical family discussion with less than one in three respondents
indicating that family members have expressed whether or not they
wish to have their organs donated after death.
- There is a substantial discrepancy between the proportion of
adults who have told a family member of their wishes regarding organ
donation (see Tables 14 and 15) and the proportion who have been
told by a family member about their wishes to donate or not donate
their organs after death.
Importance of Family Communication 23
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Nonwhite respondents are especially likely to report family
members have not indicated their wishes regarding organ donation.
24 Importance of Family Communication
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE 19
"Have you discussed with your family any of the arrangements you would like to
take place at the time of your death such as, special funeral arrangements, or the
specifics of your will?"
% Yes
Total (n=6,127) 40 %
Gender
Male (n=2,589) 35%
Female (n=3,538) 43
Age
18-24 (n=695) 20%
25-34 (n=1,442) 31
35-44 (n=1,465) 41
45-54 (n=889) 48
55+ (n=1,566) 48
Education
High school or less (n=2,377) 36%
Some college (n=1,763) 43
College graduate (n=1,922) 47
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,816) 41%
Black (n=722) 32
Hispanic (n=741) 27
Support for Organ Donation
Support (n=5,247) 41 %
Oppose (n=366) 37
- Cross-analysis of the data in Tables 18 and 19 suggest that when
families hold discussions regarding arrangements in terms of the
funeral and the specifics of legal wills, such discussions do not
always include the expression of wishes regarding organ donation. Of
the respondents who indicate both a willingness to have their organs
donated and that a family discussion of funeral arrangements, etc.
has occurred, nearly onethird (29%) have not told a family member of
their desire to donate.
- A lower proportion of nonwhites than whites have discussed funeral
arrangements with their family members.
Importance of Family Communication 25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you had NOT DISCUSSED organ donation with a family member,
how likely would you be to donate their organs upon death? Would
you be very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not at all
likely?"
AND
"If a family member HAD REQUESTED that their organs be donated
upon death, how likely would you be to donate their organs upon
death? Would you be very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or
not at all likely?"
TABLE 20
Projected Likelihood to Donate Family Members' Organs
if Discussion Had/Had Not Occurred*
If No Discussion: If Family Had Requested:
% Very/ %Not % % Very/ % Not %
Somewhat Very/Not Don't Mean Somewhat Very/Not Don't Mean
Likely At all Know Score** Likely At all Know Score**
Likely Likely
Total (n=6,023) 47% 45% 7% 2.42 93% 5% 2% 3.74
Gender
Male (n=2,544) 47% 47% 6% 2.43 91% 7% 2% 3.71
Female (n=3,479) 47 45 8 2.41 93 5 2 3.76
Age
18-24 (n=690) 44% 52% 4% 2.26 94% 5% 1% 3.74
25-34 (n=1,436) 51 44 5 2.47 94 5 2 3.76
35-44 (n=1,449) 54 42 4 2.60 97 2 1 3.83
45-54 (n=876) 51 43 6 2.55 96 3 1 3.78
55+ (n=1,505) 38 49 13 2.26 87 8 3 3.63
Education
High school or 43% 49% 9% 2.30 90% 8% 2% 3.64
less(n=2,334)
Some college 51 44 6 2.53 96 3 1 3.85
(n=1,731)
College grad 54 40 5 2.65 97 2 1 3.87
(n=1,893)
Race/Ethnicity
White (n=4,730) 48% 45% 7% 2.47 93% 5% 2% 3.76
Black (n=711) 39 54 7 2.14 88 9 3 3.58
Hispanic 43 46 11 2.33 83 11 5 3.49
(n=735)
Support of Organ Donation
Support 52% 41% 7% 2.56 95% 3% 1% 3.82
(n=5,155)
Oppose (n=363) 11 84 5 1.42 69 24 6 3.01
*Respondents who had given a "not applicable" response when asked
earlier whether or not they had made a personal decision about the
donation of family members' organs were excluded from this question
**4=very likely, 3=somewhat likely, 2=not very likely, l=not at all likely
26 Importance of Family Communication
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Respondents were asked to project their likelihood to donate
family members' organs under two conditions: when no discussion of
the issue with family members had occurred and when a family member
had requested their organs be donated upon their death. The results
suggest that family discussions on potential organ donation could
have a powerful impact on final decisions. Less than half of
respondents (47%) would be likely to donate a family members' organs
if the subject had not been discussed prior to his/her death.
However, if a family member requests their organs be donated, nearly
all respondents (93%) would be likely to honor that wish.
- Family requests would substantially increase the proportion of
organ donation opponents who would donate a family member's organs
upon their death. However, nearly one in four of these respondents
who oppose the general concept of organ donation would not honor a
family member's request that their organs be donated.
- Whites and nonwhites show dramatically increased likelihood of
donating a family member's organs if donation had been requested.
Importance of Family Communication 27
Next section
Return to survey index