The impact of television on attitudes towards organ donation - A survey in a German urban population sample

Background. The stagnation or decrease in organ donation rates since 1992 in Germany has partly been attributed to the negative impact of reports about organ donation periodically presented by German television between 1992 and 1997. This study was performed to elucidate the impact of the media on the public's attitudes towards organ donation. Methods. A questionnaire concerning different aspects of organ donation was sent to the parents of pupils of a high school in a German city in 1994 and 1998. Results. In 1994, 940 adults could be identified who had (TV+, n = 546) or had not (TV-, n = 394) followed at least one television discussion about the topic. In 1998, the group consisted of 756 (TV+, n = 443 and TV-, n = 313) adults. The discriminating question was of sufficient strength to reveal significant differences between TV(+) and TV(-) respondents. Contrary to an assumed negative impact of TV, differences between the groups were detectable mainly in questions regarding information, but not in those which dealt with personal fears and concerns. The main results obtained in both surveys were identical. Furthermore, from 1994 to 1998 there was a trend in favour of information and organ donation for TV(+) but not for TV(-) respondents. Conclusion. The assumption that TV has had a negative impact on donation rates must be rejected. Therefore, the stagnation/decline in donation rates must be attributed to other factors.