Almost one in three Germans (30 per cent) expect that pressure on the old and sick will increase as soon as active euthanasia is legalised.

This was the result of a survey conducted by the market and social research institute INSA-Consulere on behalf of the Protestant news agency IDEA.

Half of the people (49 per cent) do not share this fear. 18 per cent do not know their opinion, and 4 per cent did not answer.

Remarkable is that young people especially expect increased pressure on the elderly and sick. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 37 per cent have this fear.

Euthanasia is a much more sensitive issue in Germany than in other European countries. When neighbour-country The Netherlands legalised euthanasia in 2000, the German Minister of Justice, Herta Däubler-Gmelin spoke about a “terrible breach of taboo”.

The reason for the German reluctance lies in the Nazi era. Before and during the Second World War, the word “euthanasia” was used for a killing program for disabled people.