This article reports on 2 surveys in England of relatives & others who knew the 3696 people in samples from 1990 death certificates. It reports the incidence of those who wished to die sooner. 3.6% of the sample were said to have requested euthanasia at some point in the last year of their life. The extent to which such views were determined by the experiences of pain, other distressing symptoms, dependency, & social & culture factors such as religious belief & social class is explored.