BSR Organ Donation Special Report 2020

11th September 2020

2 out of 3 Sikhs consider organ donation as a form of ‘seva’ or selfless service after death, according to the British Sikh Report.

A special British Sikh Report (BSR) is being launched today to coincide with Organ Donation Week, which runs from 7th to 13th September 2020, incorporating data collected through the BSR 2020 survey. This report provides a summary of respondents’ views on organ donation as expressed through the survey, and is accompanied by an article on advocacy of this issue within the Sikh community in the UK.

2,500 British Sikh respondents replied to the questions relating to Organ Donation, providing a good representative sample of all age groups, of people with different marital and relationship status, and of the various regions and countries of the UK.

The key findings are: 

• 62% of Sikhs are happy to remain on the organ donor register automatically, with only 17% saying that they would not be happy to remain automatically registered under the ‘opt-out’ system.
• 67% of Sikhs consider organ donation to be a form of ‘seva’ (or selfless service as mandated by the faith) after they have passed away.
• Only 38% of females and 30% of males have spoken to their family members about their wishes when it comes to organ donation.

It is hoped that the report will help raise awareness of views and opinions on organ donation within the Sikh community.

Jasvir Singh, chair of the British Sikh Report, commented, “It’s wonderful to see the strong support within the Sikh community for the ‘opt-out’ system in England, Wales and Scotland when it comes to organ donation. However, it is concerning to know that only a third of Sikhs have spoken to their family as to whether they want their organs to be donated after their deaths, especially as family members are able to prevent that organ donation from taking place. I hope that this report for Organ Donation Week will encourage more people to have those discussions in a timely manner. There has never been a better time to talk to loved ones about your views on organ donation.”

The British Sikh Report (BSR) has been produced every year since 2013. The full BSR 2020 will be published in the Autumn of 2020, later than normal, due to delays caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The British Sikh Report 2020 ‘Organ Donation Week Special’ is available now to download