Race Differences in Attitudes toward Voluntary Euthanasia: A Pilot Study

这是一项基于种族的对自愿安乐死和医生协助自杀态度差异的研究。以前的研究发现，黑人比白人更有可能反对安乐死合法化。这项研究将探讨文化因素（如宗教信仰和对滥用安乐死的恐惧）和结构因素（如教育和收入）在多大程度上造成了巨大的差异。分析将控制其他理论提出的变量的影响，这些理论也可能解释种族差异。它还将评估种族对两种不同形式的自愿安乐死的态度差异：主动安乐死（即，由医生提供的致命注射）;以及医生协助的自杀（即，医生处方的致命药物剂量）。一个重点小组的黑人和一个重点小组的白人将被用来产生和完善调查项目，将管理到一个随机抽样的500名成年俄亥俄州人，包括一个过度抽样的黑人。然后，选定的答卷人将参加两个调查后重点小组，一个由所有黑人组成，另一个由所有白人组成。从这两个重点小组收集的定性数据将用于证实和探讨定量调查数据分析的结果。这项调查还将作为国家一级进一步调查研究的预先测试项目。这个项目将扩大我们对种族差异的起源的理解，对道德问题的态度，涉及到决定生死，通过增加文化和社会结构的作用的评估。此外，该项目将通过深入了解公众舆论与社会运动组织领导人框架问题的过程之间的关系，推进社会运动的社会学理论。

This is a study of race-based differentials in attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Previous studies find that Blacks are much more likely than Whites to oppose legalizing euthanasia. This study will examine the extent to which cultural factors (such as religious beliefs and fears about abuses of euthanasia) and structural factors (such as education and income) account for the dramatic difference. The analysis will control for the effects of variables suggested by other theories that also may account for the race difference. It also will assess race differences in attitudes toward two different forms of voluntary euthanasia: active euthanasia (i.e., a lethal injection provided by a physician); and physician-assisted suicide (i.e., a physician-prescribed dose of lethal drugs). One focus group of Blacks and one focus group of Whites will be employed to generate and to refine survey items that will be administered to a random sample of 500 adult Ohioans, including an oversample of Blacks. Selected respondents then will participate in two post-survey focus groups, one consisting of all Blacks, the other consisting of all Whites. The qualitative data gathered from these two focus groups will be used to corroborate and to explore findings from analyses of the quantitative survey data. The survey also will serve as a way of pre-testing items for further survey research at the national level. This project will broaden our understanding of the genesis of race differences in attitudes toward moral issues that involve decisions regarding life and death by adding an assessment of the roles of culture and social structure. In addition, the project will advance sociological theory on social movements by providing insight into the relationship between public opinion and the process through which leaders of social movement organizations frame issues.