Some figures about death and dying

The following statistics, taken from national market research conducted this year and commissioned by Dying Matters, reveal that:

The north east is the region least comfortable talking about death. 47% of those surveyed said they were comfortable, against a national average of 65%. 27% said they were uncomfortable, against a national average of 16%.

The people of the north east are least likely to want to know if they are dying (47% surveyed did) compared to the national average of 78%. A third of those asked in the north east would not want to be told.

More than two thirds (69%) of people in the north east think it is just as important to get the chance to discuss their feeling towards death as it is to discuss medical needs.

When the time comes for people in the north east:

48% want to die at home
15% at home with sufficient support
9% in hospital
4% in a hospice
2% in a nursing home
2% in a care home
10% don’t mind.

Being with loved ones was seen as most important to people in the north east (from a list including pain relief, dignity, privacy and peace, discussion of medical needs, feelings and spiritual and religious needs).

Almost two thirds (63%) of north east population haven’t discussed how they’d like to die.

38% of people said this was because they don’t want to think/talk about death, 17% said death feels a long way off and 23% said they were too young to die.

(Total base size: 1027; north east base size 124)

Some interesting facts

Society’s attitudes towards death and dying have changed over time. Different cultures approach death and dying in different ways. Here are some interesting facts which explore the theme a little further:

The practice of burying the dead, also called interment, dates back as far as 130,000 years based on skeletal remains found in caves at Qafzeh, Israel. It just might be one of the earliest detectable forms of religious practice.

Victorians had elaborate mourning customs. After a funeral the room would be aired and before it was used again, the walls, ceiling and paintwork would be completely redecorated.

Widows wore mourning clothes for two years. Diamonds and pearls were frequently worn with very deep mourning, but gold was not worn until a year had passed. A widow was not expected to go in public until after three months had passed. Even then her visiting was confined to relatives and close friends.

Children, daughters-in-law or sons-in-law and parents would wear mourning clothes for a year. Ten months black, the last two gray, white or mauve. Photos of infants or other loved ones in decorated frames would be displayed.

The Inca played complicated dice games as they sat with the dead. They believed that the dead could influence how the dice fell. When the game was over, the person’s belongings were divided up.

Many cultures partake of meals after funerals. In Ecuador, bread is made in the shape of people or mummies. The Amish bake funeral pies made with raisins. Aztecs burned food for the dead, often including a plump dog to help the dead cross to the afterlife.

Why does traffic halt for a funeral procession? Because any delay in transporting a soul might make it into a restless ghost, intent on staying in this world instead of passing into the next.

In England the dead were always carried out of the house feet first. Otherwise, the spirit might glance back into the house and beckon family members to accompany them to the grave.

Mirrors were covered so the soul would not get trapped and not be able to pass to the other side.