Goss, Silvia, Daniel, Rhian  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5649-9320, Perrott, Sarah, Harrop, Emily, Sivell, Stephanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0253-1860, Rogerson, Jennifer, Holland-Hart, Daniella ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1127-5152, Edwards, Michelle ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7432-2828, Noble, Simon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5425-2383 and Sallnow, Libby
2026.
Personal comfort with talking about death and dying predicts end-of-life planning in the general population: insights from a nationally representative survey in the UK [Abstract].
Palliative Medicine
40
(5)
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Abstract
Background: Normalising conversations about death and dying and promoting death literacy to enhance preparedness at the end of life (EoL) is recognised as a public health priority. Insights into the extent to which the public engages with EoL planning and associated factors can inform public health interventions and advance care planning (ACP) initiatives. Aim/Research question or hypothesis: To identify sociodemographic and experiential predictors of engagement in EoL-related conversations and planning in the UK general population. Methods: An exploratory secondary analysis of data collected through a population-based online survey (panel-based) of public attitudes to death and dying in the UK, focusing on two outcome variables: (i)total number of actions personally taken to plan for EoL (range: 0-5) and (ii) total number of Discussions had with a family member/friend about their wishes (range: 0-5). Weighted negative binomial regression models were fitted separately for these two outcomes, with age, gender, ethnicity, religiosity, personal experience with serious illness or bereavement, educational attainment, disability status, financial strain, and self-reported comfort discussing death and dying as predictor variables. Results: A representative sample of 10,500 UK adults completed the sur vey. Half of the weighted sample had taken none of the five actions, with decreasing proportions reporting one to five actions. Greater action taking was most strongly associated with higher degrees of comfort when discussing death and dying, followed by older age, higher religiosity and having a disability, with comfort found to mediate the relationship between some covariates and actions taken. Findings for Discussion s with family or friends showed similar patterns, though personal experience (rather than age) emerged as the second most important predictor following comfort with talking about EoL matters. Discussion: Engagement with EoL-related conversations and planning in the general population was primarily predicted by self-reported comfort with discussing such topics, making it a key target for ACP and public health interventions.
| Item Type: | Short Communication |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Medicine |
| Additional Information: | Abstract from The 20th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care 14 - 16 May 2026 Prague, Czech Republic |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| ISSN: | 0269-2163 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date of Acceptance: | 6 January 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 27 May 2026 16:00 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187244 |
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