Fact sheet research 'Value of Donation'

Background and objective of the research

With its communication, the Dutch Transplantation Foundation (NTS) aims to clarify the value of organ and tissue donation. In the run-up to the Week of the Donor Conversation, Ruigrok research & advice conducted quantitative research for this purpose. The objective of the research is to gain insight into the awareness and feelings of Dutch people regarding organ and tissue donation, the health benefits, and happiness in life.

Results

Importance of organ and tissue donation

Three-quarters of Dutch people aged 18 to 60 (76%) consider organ and tissue donation important, 19% are neutral about this.
79% think it is important that attention is paid to organ and tissue donation.

Talking about organ donation

32% of Dutch people say they never talk to others about organ and tissue donation. A total of 68% sometimes do. 32% do this sometimes and 33% on a single occasion. Donation is regularly a topic of conversation for only 4%.
Dutch people need a trigger to start talking about donation. The primary trigger for Dutch people to talk about donation was their own wish to donate or not (39%). For 33%, the trigger was that they had filled in or changed their choice in the Donor Register, and for 27%, the trigger was that they had encountered something in the media.

Value of tissue and organ donation

14% never dwell on what organ and tissue donation can mean for the daily life of a recipient, 83% do this occasionally.
How much Dutch people think they know about the impact of a donation on the recipient's life varies: 23% think they know a lot about this, 32% think they know little about this. 40% indicate they know neither a lot nor a little about this impact.
Dutch people mainly think that it is valuable for someone receiving an organ or tissue that they gain a higher quality of life (66%) and get a new chance to keep living (62%). For 26%, it seems valuable that recipients can once again mean something to others.
Over two-fifths of Dutch people (43%) respond neutrally to even very poorly to the question of to what extent they can empathize with the importance of organ donation for the recipient. 39% think they can do this well and 10% even very well.

Appreciation

Four-fifths of Dutch people (81%) have a lot of appreciation for people who choose to donate organs or tissue (39% a great deal of appreciation, 42% a lot of appreciation).

Research methodology

This research was commissioned by the Dutch Transplantation Foundation and carried out by Ruigrok research & advice. The target group consists of Dutch people aged 18 to 60, and the sample is representative by gender, age, and educational level. A total of n=1,026 respondents completed the online questionnaire between August 7 and August 18, 2026.