"Good death" – the circumstances in which it would be best for a person to die. The representative survey of Latvian population

The paper summarizes and analyses the opinions of Latvian residents about the desired / best conditions in which to die. The obtained answers are analyzed in different demographic groups, as well as in connection with other respondents' perceptions and values. National representative survey of permanent residents of Latvia aged 18-75 in October 2020, N=1012. The results of the study show that the possibility of dying in pain and suffering is a major concern for the majority of Latvian society, and a large percentage of people would like to leave their lives in sleep or sudden death. The results of the study also show people's desire to be in their homes at the time of death, to die in the presence of relatives. The survey shows a statistically significant relationship between people's perceptions of the desired/best conditions in which to die: “good death” and a range of demographic and social factors. Early (1-6 years of age) significant/memorable contact with death correlates with someone's own desire to die without pain and suffering or sleep. Elderly people are expressed in a desire to be in the presence of relatives at the time of death or to die in sudden death. Maintaining control over what is happening at the time of death is more important for people with higher education and those who have been socially active in life; etc. The data of the study carried out provide new information on people's perceptions of death, highlighting differences in different socio-demographic groups.