Sacred lines and final choices: attitudes toward Physician Aid-in-Dying

Grounded in Moral Foundations Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examined how empathy, Dark Triad traits, and religiosity relate to attitudes toward Physician-Assisted Dying (AID). We surveyed 300 Romanian adults aged 18–60 (M = 27.49; 83.33% women). Results showed that higher religiosity was associated with less favorable attitudes toward AID, supporting a sanctity-based moral perspective. Empathy did not significantly predict attitudes, and religiosity did not moderate the empathy – AID relationship. Machiavellianism was negatively associated with support for AID, while narcissism showed a positive association. Age was negatively related to AID support. Overall, findings emphasize religiosity as a key factor shaping attitudes toward AID in a highly religious cultural context and reveal nuanced links between specific dark personality traits and end-of-life moral judgments. The study adds to the limited Eastern European research and highlights the value of integrating moral, cultural, and personality perspectives when examining public views on AID.