Religiosity and justification of euthanasia: Multilevel moderation of beliefs in life after death

Abstract

Although research consistently shows that both individual and national religiosity are negatively associated with the justification of euthanasia, there is a lack of knowledge about the moderators of this relationship. Beliefs in life after death provide a framework for attributing meaning beyond earthly existence. Using data from the most recent wave of the European Values Study project (EVS, 2022), this study examined how such beliefs in life after death relate to the justification of euthanasia and moderate the religiosity-euthanasia relationship at both individual and cultural levels in a cross-national context. A multilevel analysis of 35 countries and approximately 48,000 participants revealed that both religiosity and beliefs in life after death significantly increased opposition to euthanasia. Moreover, beliefs in life after death strengthened the negative association between religiosity and the justification of euthanasia. Findings suggest that these beliefs in life after death operate simultaneously at the individual and cultural levels. These results highlight the importance of multilevel approaches to understanding end-of-life attitudes and underscore the need for public health policies to consider cultural beliefs about death when addressing euthanasia legislation and clinical decision-making.