About 70% of Italians support euthanasia, according to a new national survey, while the Italian Evangelical Alliance is urging society to focus on preserving life and preventing death.
Eurispes' 38th Italy Report, released May 26, found support for assisted suicide rose from close to 40% in 2019 to more than half of respondents in 2026. Support for euthanasia and assisted suicide was strongest among younger adults, particularly those under 45. The report also noted that one in four Italians is a senior citizen, compared with the European average of one in five, representing about 14.5 million elderly people.
The findings were published in a section of the report examining Italians' views on ethical issues, including end-of-life decisions, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, adoption, same-sex unions, soft drugs and prostitution.
The report found that 70.2% of Italians support euthanasia, up from 66.7% in 2024. Support for euthanasia in cases of advanced dementia reached 67.1%, while 80.2% backed living wills. Support for assisted suicide rose to 54.3%, compared with 39.4% in 2019.
Lucia Stelluti, vice president of the Italian Evangelical Alliance (Alleanza Evangelica Italiana, or AEI), told Christian Daily International that several factors have contributed to these trends.
“Like most Southern European countries, Italy has been going through a process of secularization over the last few decades, increasingly making individual autonomy a defining feature of contemporary culture,” Stelluti said. “This process has affected the way people deal with ethical issues.”
Another contributing factor, she argued, is the continuing influence of Roman Catholicism, particularly as a matter of cultural identity rather than adherence to traditional teachings.
“The majority of Italians still claim to be Catholic, but not in the sense of being consistent with traditional Roman Catholic teachings on moral issues.”
During the papacy of Pope Francis, she added, the Roman Catholic Church has somewhat sidelined bioethical issues in public debate. “This has given the impression that you can be a Roman Catholic while holding liberal views on ethics.”
Stelluti said evangelicals advocate a different approach, which should avoid both “biolatry,” the elevation of biological life to an absolute, and “egolatry,” the elevation of the individual self to an absolute.
“Both are forms of idolatry. Life is a finite gift that must be lived responsibly.”
On end-of-life issues, she outlined several priorities evangelicals seek to promote: “Evangelicals have tried to make this approach known in churches and society at large.”
One priority is opposing efforts to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. “Preserving life and preventing death must be the moral threshold,” she said.
Another priority is promoting living wills so that people can take responsibility for decisions affecting their care rather than leaving them solely to medical professionals.
Stelluti also called for greater support for palliative care and pain management, which she said remain underused in Italy. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that dying people are surrounded by support from family, churches and local communities.
“Most requests for euthanasia are motivated by the fear of being left alone.”
