Widespread uncertainty about the law governing assisted suicide has been revealed by a new survey.

Widespread uncertainty about the law governing assisted suicide has been revealed by a new survey.

Nearly one in three adults wrongly believes that assisted suicide is legal, according to the report, which is being endorsed by TV presenter and journalist Esther Rantzen.

The poll, commissioned by charity Dignity in Dying, reveals that most people are unsure where the law stands on voluntary euthanasia. Many people think that they have more rights than they actually do.

Assisted suicide is illegal throughout the UK. Helping another person to end their life - including assisting a patient to travel to a country where voluntary euthanasia is legal - is punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment.

But the survey found that the majority of people were unsure about the legislation in place to deal with terminally-ill patients who may wish to end their own lives.

More than two-thirds believed they would have the right to hospice care if they were terminally ill, which is currently not the case, and 27% did not know that they had the option to refuse certain types of medical treatment, even if they lose the ability to communicate with doctors.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said the findings of the survey were cause for concern.

She said: "There is clearly a lot of confusion around what is a right and what isn't in end-of-life care. Worryingly, expectations currently don't match reality."

The poll, carried out by independent firm ICM, also revealed that 56% of people think they have the right to die in a place of their choosing when, in fact, most do not have that option.

The release of the survey results coincides with the publication of Dignity in Dying's guide Your Rights at the End of Life, which has a foreword by Ms Rantzen.

Launching the guide, Ms Rantzen said she backed the idea that people should be given free choice over how and when to die.

She said: "Death is often described as the last taboo. Most of us avoid talking about death and dying - until we're faced with the death of someone close to us.

"This guide aims to help break down that taboo and gives valuable guidance about our rights at the end of life.

She added: "I support choice at the end of life. If people don't have the information they can't make the choices.

"Of course, it is up to each of us to decide what we believe to be a good death, but I hope this guide will help with that decision and enable us all to make choices and plan ahead."

One of the guide's main aims is to inform people of their rights to make a declaration, called an Advance Decision, that allows them to set out what kind of medical treatment they wish to refuse before they get to the stage where they can no longer communicate with doctors or relatives.

The poll revealed that, although 61% of respondents knew they had this option, only 11% had set out an Advance Decision.