50% of Britons admit to fearing the process of dying, according to the findings of a new research project on death and dying by Theos, the public theology think tank.
In the poll of over 1,000 adults undertaken for Theos by ComRes, 20% admit to fearing both the way they will die and death itself. 30% say that they fear the way they will die but not death itself. 25% claim to fear neither death nor the way they will die. 42% people believe that the publicity surrounding the death of Jade Goody was helpful, in making people think about death.
When asked about the sort of funeral they would like, 37% of people say that they would like a Christian funeral compared with 17% saying a non-religious one. 4% would like a religious but not a Christian ceremony. There is a trend by age group: 53% of people aged 65 and over say they would like a Christian funeral compared with only 20% of 18-24 year olds.
Only 7% of the population have made arrangements for their funeral. 16% of people have not given it any thought and 13% of people say they will let their family or friends decide. 42% have made a will and 41% have taken out life insurance.
Two thirds of all people (66%) have seen a dead body. 55% of 18-24 year olds have not while only 16% of people aged 65 and over have not.
The highest proportion of people fearing both the way they will die and death itself is among 18-24 year olds (26% compared with a national average of 20%). Strikingly, although the smallest proportion of people wanting a Christian funeral is within that age group (20% compared with a national average of 37%) it also contains the highest proportion of people wanting a religious but not Christian funeral (9% compared with a national average of 4%). 42% of people aged 65 and over state that their religious faith helps them to deal with the death of a loved one and prepare for their own death compared with only 23% of 18-24 year olds.
Commenting on the finding of the research, Director of Theos, Paul Woolley said:
"This research offers a useful insight into public attitudes regarding a highly personal and emotive subject.
"The different attitudes about death between age groups are especially striking. The fact that we are fearful of dying suggests we need to discuss it more.
"The proportion of people fearing death in society could be explained by the breakdown of an overarching religious narrative in the culture. It might also have something to do with the lack of experience people have in dealing with death."
In his book, The Welcome Visitor, published earlier this year, John Humphrys said: "The attitude of modern society to death has changed because our attitude to life has changed. A century ago we knew that death was never far away and we were prepared for it. Today the opposite is true."
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The headline findings of the poll are here, and the full results are here.
To ComRes interviewed 1018 GB adults online between 24 and 26 April 2009. Data were weighted to be representative demographically of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
To read a blog on the subject, click here.
