Survey: Nearly Half of Canadians Believe Rich People Get Preference for Transplants

The poll also found that about one in five Canadians has the "false belief" that donating organs upon death leaves the donor's body "disfigured," or that patients are more likely to be declared "prematurely dead" if they have indicated willingness to be an organ donor.

The findings may help explain why Canada has one of the lowest organ donor rates among industrialized countries, with approximately 14 donors per million people compared to 21 per million in the United States and 31.5 per million in Spain.

The researchers also said 22 percent of the 1,516 adult Canadians surveyed cited as a reason for not being a donor the belief that "some people who receive organ transplants may not really deserve to receive them, since they have abused their own health through behaviours such as drug or alcohol use."