2005 National Survey of Organ and Tissue Donation Attitudes and Behaviors

3.7 Sources of Information About Organ and Tissue Donation

People are exposed to a multitude of information sources. It is important to understand where people get their information about organ donation and which sources of information they trust.

In the past year, which of the following has been an important source of information for you about organ and tissue donation and transplantation?

Which sources of information would be most likely to influence how you think or act about organ and tissue donation and transplantation?

Table 9 lists the responses to these questions concerning sources of information about organ and tissue donation. The sources are listed in the table according to the proportion of the population that identified the source as an "important" source of information. Based on this criterion, the top five sources of information about organ donation are:

• General news media coverage
• Local news (TV, radio, newspaper)
• A public service advertisement on TV
• A discussion with a family member
• The Department of Motor Vehicles

Also in the table are responses indicating which sources of information respondents felt are most likely to influence them. Based on this criterion, the top five sources are:

• Local news (TV, radio, newspaper)
• Information provided by a medical professional
• A discussion with a family member
• General news media coverage
• Personal experience or involvement with organ and tissue donation

There is considerable overlap in the lists, but some important differences as well. For example, people give high credence to the medical profession as a source of information, but this appears far down the list as an "important" source of information. Also, personal experience is held to be influential, but only a quarter of the population has personal experience with transplantation.

Table 9. Sources of Information About Organ Donation

Some of the items used in the survey questionnaire for this study are proprietary content owned by The Gallup Organization. A complete list is found on the Copyright page. Copyright © 1993, 2005 The Gallup Organization, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.