The FINANCIAL — According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 120,000 people are currently on the waiting list to receive a lifesaving organ transplant. Just one organ donor can save up to eight lives. However, with a new name joining this list every 10 minutes and 22 people dying each day while waiting, the gap between supply and demand continues to grow as donation rates stagnate.
According to a recent Harris Poll, just over half of American adults (51%) say they are currently registered organ donors. There remains sufficient room to increase this number, however. While a total of 44% of Americans say they aren’t registered donors, 23% state they’d consider becoming one.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,212 U.S. adults surveyed online between August 12 and 17, 2015.
The registered
Organ donors identify two key reasons why they chose to register: it’s comforting to know their organs will serve a purpose after they die (69%) and they want to help someone in need (60%).
Millennials and Gen Xers are particularly likely to say they registered because they want to help someone in need (69% & 63% vs. 52% Baby Boomers & 47% Matures).
The same is true for college grads compared to all other education levels (71% vs. 54% post grad, 58% some college, & 57% high school or less).
Another 15% indicate it’s because they know someone who has benefited from a donation, and 7% say they registered because they know someone currently on the waiting list.
Among registered donors, some key demographic differences exist. Those most likely to say they have registered include:
Liberals, who are more likely than both conservatives and moderates (58% vs. 49% & 48%) to have done so,
Midwesterners (59% vs. 46%, East, 50% South & 51% West), and
Those with an education level beyond high school (58% post grad, 53% college grad & 57% some college vs. 44% high school or less).
The willing
When looking to increase registered donors, the obvious opportunity exists among the 23% of Americans who are non-registered donors, but who indicate they’d be willing to consider it. Within this subgroup, the most common reasons they haven’t registered include: they don’t like to think about what will happen when they die (21%), they’re not in good enough health (19%), and they don’t know how to register (16%). Increased education on the benefits and simplicity of organ donor registration may be enough to sway a segment of these already willing individuals.
The largest opportunity may exist among young adults (ages 18-24). While they are the most likely to say they’re not registered (55%), they are also the most likely age group to consider registering (35%).
The wary
Among the 21% of Americans not currently open to donating, the top reasons for not registering include the perception that they’re not in good enough health (26%), discomfort with their organs being used after death (26%), and a desire to avoid thinking about what happens when they die (23%). Less common but still notable reasons are concerns that their family could not afford the additional medical costs associated with organ donation (10%) and that perception that their family knowing their wishes means they don’t need to register as a donor (9%).
In total among the unregistered (including both the willing and unwilling), some key demographic differences exist in their reasoning:
Millennials are more likely than the older cohorts to say they don’t like to think about what happens when they die (36% vs. 19% Gen Xers, 16% Baby Boomers & 11% Matures) and that they don’t know how to register (18% vs. 5%, 4% & 6%).
Those with a high school education or less are especially likely to say their family couldn’t afford any additional costs associated with donation (16% vs. 8% some college, 3% college grad, & 5% post grad).
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