Table 1.
Reporting of general characteristics before, during, and after legislation changes legalizing AS.
| Coding categories | Total n (all 3 periods) (n = 906) | Period 1 (2017–2019) (n = 103) | Period 2 (2020–2021) (n = 719) | Period 3 (2022) (n = 84) | Comparison of period 1 vs. 21 | Comparison of period 2 vs. 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Characteristics | |||||||
| Type of content | News | 234 (25.8) | 44 (42.7) | 167 (23.2) | 23 (27.4) | 17.94*** | 0.72 |
| Background | 267 (29.5) | 28 (27.2) | 204 (28.4) | 35 (41.7) | 0.06 | 6.36* | |
| Comment (reader’s view/editor’s view) | 320 (35.3) | 20 (19.4) | 282 (39.2) | 18 (21.4) | 15.20*** | 10.17** | |
| Interview | 56 (6.2) | 6 (5.8) | 44 (6.1) | 6 (7.1) | 0.01 | 0.14 | |
| Other | 29 (3.2) | 5 (4.9) | 22 (3.1) | 2 (2.4) | n/a | n/a | |
| Killing on request | 399 (44.0) | 50 (48.5) | 322 (44.8) | 27 (32.1) | 0.51 | 4.89* | |
| Article focus (individual vs. general) | Individual focus | 36 (4.0) | 11 (10.7) | 11 (1.5) | 14 (16.7) | n/a*** | n/a*** |
| General focus | 727 (80.2) | 48 (46.6) | 611 (85.0) | 68 (81.0) | 83.47*** | 0.93 | |
| Mixed focus | 143 (15.8) | 44 (42.7) | 97 (13.5) | 2 (2.4) | 54.16*** | 8.59** | |
| Description of the character of a person considering AS or dying by AS (n = 179) | Good | 77 (43.0) | 26 (47.3) | 38 (35.2) | 13 (81.3) | 2.23 | 12.21*** |
| Bad | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | – | – | |
| Mixed | 102 (57.0) | 29 (52.7) | 70 (64.8) | 3 (18.8) | 2.23 | 12.21*** | |
| Content focus | Preparation of AS | 215 (23.7) | 33 (32.0) | 149 (20.7) | 33 (39.3) | 6.62* | 14.79*** |
| Procedure of carrying out AS | 158 (17.4) | 31 (30.1) | 106 (14.7) | 21 (25.0) | 15.29*** | 5.94* | |
| Postvention of AS | 49 (5.4) | 24 (23.3) | 25 (3.5) | 0 (0.0) | 36.16*** | n/a | |
| Palliative care | 301 (33.2) | 20 (19.4) | 249 (34.6) | 32 (38.1) | 9.47** | 0.40 | |
| Suicide prevention | 46 (5.1) | 2 (1.9) | 38 (5.3) | 6 (7.1) | 2.18 | n/a | |
| Reflection (pro/con AS) | 868 (95.8) | 89 (86.4) | 708 (98.5) | 71 (84.5) | n/a*** | n/a*** | |
| Other | 227 (25.1) | 28 (27.2) | 186 (25.9) | 13 (15.5) | 0.08 | 4.36* | |
| Motivations | Any illness, unspecified | 364 (40.2) | 34 (33.0) | 301 (41.9) | 29 (34.5) | 2.93 | 1.67 |
| Mental illness | 65 (7.2) | 15 (14.6) | 49 (6.8) | 1 (1.2) | 7.53* | 4.08* | |
| Somatic disease | 172 (19.0) | 32 (31.1) | 113 (15.7) | 27 (32.1) | 14.62*** | 14.10*** | |
| Dementia | 39 (4.3) | 15 (14.6) | 23 (3.2) | 1 (1.2) | n/a*** | n/a | |
| Age/life weariness | 87 (9.6) | 15 (14.6) | 69 (9.6) | 3 (3.6) | 2.42 | 3.35 | |
| Human rights/personal rights | 196 (21.6) | 24 (23.3) | 167 (23.2) | 5 (6.0) | 0.00 | 13.33*** | |
| Isolation/loneliness | 30 (3.3) | 2 (1.9) | 28 (3.9) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Burden to others | 54 (6.0) | 2 (1.9) | 50 (7.0) | 2 (2.4) | 3.82 | 2.60 | |
| Alternative to non-assisted suicide | 12 (1.3) | 6 (5.8) | 6 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) | n/a** | n/a | |
| Pain & suffering | 140 (15.5) | 27 (26.2) | 109 (15.2) | 4 (4.8) | 7.97** | 6.73* | |
| Other | 129 (14.2) | 21 (20.4) | 106 (14.7) | 2(2.4) | 2.20 | 9.87** | |
| No motivation | 262 (28.9) | 12 (11.7) | 221 (30.7) | 29 (34.5) | 16.16*** | 0.50 | |
| Country situations | Austria | 802 (88.5) | 64 (62.1) | 667 (92.8) | 71 (84.5) | 85.87*** | 6.87** |
| Germany | 169 (18.7) | 13 (12.6) | 150 (20.9) | 6 (7.1) | 3.85 | 9.04** | |
| Switzerland | 193 (21.3) | 35 (34.0) | 142 (19.7) | 16 (19.0) | 10.80** | 0.02 | |
| Belgium | 109 (12.0) | 21 (20.4) | 81 (11.3) | 7 (8.3) | 6.90** | 0.66 | |
| Netherlands | 155 (17.1) | 36 (35.0) | 109 (15.2) | 10 (11.9) | 24.29*** | 0.63 | |
| Spain | 34 (3.8) | 1 (1.0) | 30 (4.2) | 3 (3.6) | n/a | n/a | |
| Portugal | 18 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 17 (2.4) | 1 (1.2) | n/a | n/a | |
| Italy | 12 (1.3) | 1 (1.0) | 7 (1.0) | 4 (4.8) | n/a | 7.99** | |
| Other country | 164 (18.1) | 33 (32.0) | 116 (16.1) | 15 (17.9) | 15.36*** | 0.16 | |
| No specific country | 5 (0.6) | 3 (2.9) | 1 (0.1) | 1 (1.2) | n/a** | n/a | |
| Interview/citation of expert | 550 (60.7) | 54 (52.4) | 441 (61.3) | 55 (65.5) | 2.98 | 0.55 | |
| Type of expert (n = 550) | Representative of an ethical body | 14 (2.5) | 0 (0.0) | 13 (2.9) | 1 (1.8) | n/a | n/a |
| Legal expert | 89 (16.2) | 9 (16.7) | 67 (15.2) | 13 (23.6) | 0.08 | 2.58 | |
| Medical doctor other than psychiatrist/palliative care physician or unspecified | 52 (9.5) | 10 (18.5) | 34 (7.7) | 8 (14.5) | n/a* | n/a | |
| Psychiatrist | 12 (2.2) | 1 (1.9) | 9 (2.0) | 2 (3.6) | n/a | n/a | |
| Palliative care physician | 52 (9.5) | 5 (9.3) | 35 (7.9) | 12 (21.8) | n/a | 10.99*** | |
| Suicide assistant not from an organization | 3 (0.5) | 1 (1.9) | 2 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Psychologist/psychotherapist | 9 (1.6) | 2 (3.7) | 7 (1.6) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Suicide organization | 42 (7.6) | 0 (0.0) | 32 (7.3) | 10 (18.2) | n/a* | n/a* | |
| Funeral director | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.8) | – | n/a | |
| Author/editor/media professional | 17 (3.1) | 1 (1.9) | 15 (3.4) | 1 (1.8) | n/a | n/a | |
| Politician | 143 (26.0) | 12 (22.2) | 125 (28.3) | 6 (10.9) | 0.90 | 7.65** | |
| Others or unspecified | 357 (64.9) | 33 (61.1) | 287 (65.1) | 37 (67.3) | 0.33 | .104 | |
| Expert opinion (n = 550) | Pro AS | 87 (15.8) | 12 (22.2) | 64 (14.5) | 11 (20.0) | 2.20 | 1.15 |
| Contra AS | 158 (28.7) | 17 (31.5) | 132 (29.9) | 9 (16.4) | 0.06 | 4.43* | |
| Neutral/mixed | 205 (37.3) | 11 (20.4) | 175 (39.7) | 19 (34.5) | 7.65** | 0.54 | |
| No opinion given | 100 (18.2) | 14 (25.9) | 70 (15.9) | 16 (29.1) | 3.45 | 5.96* | |
| Interview/citation of friends/family member/dependent person | 46 (5.1) | 17 (16.5) | 23 (3.2) | 6 (7.1) | 34.46*** | n/a | |
| Type of close person (n = 46) | Family | 43 (93.5) | 17 (100.0) | 20 (87.0) | 6 (100.0) | n/a | n/a |
| Friends | 3 (6.5) | 1 (5.9) | 2 (8.7) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Others | 2 (4.3) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (8.7) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Friend/family member/dependent person’s opinion (n = 46) | Pro-AS | 28 (60.9) | 9 (52.9) | 16 (69.6) | 3 (50) | 1.15 | n/a |
| Contra-AS | 4 (8.7) | 2 (11.8) | 2 (8.7) | 0 (0.0) | n/a | n/a | |
| Neutral/mixed | 8 (17.4) | 4 (23.5) | 2 (8.7) | 2 (33.3) | n/a | n/a | |
| No opinion given | 6 (13.0) | 2 (11.8) | 3 (13.0) | 1 (16.7) | n/a | n/a | |
| Reported effects of AS on bereaved friends/family | 127 (14.0) | 26 (25.2) | 83 (11.5) | 18 (21.4) | 14.70*** | 6.68* | |
| Pictures | 483 (53.3) | 47 (45.6) | 385 (53.5) | 51 (60.7) | 2.26 | 1.56 | |
| Statistical data reported | 214 (23.6) | 25 (24.3) | 160 (22.3) | 29 (34.5) | 0.21 | 6.29* | |
| Cover page | 82 (9.1) | 5 (4.9) | 69 (9.6) | 8 (9.5) | 2.47 | 0.00 | |
Values are presented as frequencies with percentages given in parentheses. Symbols (*) indicate significant differences with chi-squared tests or, in case of low frequencies, Fisher’s exact tests; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 (two-tailed).
n/a = not applicable (Fisher’s exact test).
1The degrees of freedom are 1 for chi-squared tests.