What Constitutes a "Good Death"?—A Representative Cross-Sectional Survey Among the General Public in Croatia.

This article focuses on a 2019 cross-sectional survey examining the attitudes of the general population in the Republic of Croatia toward the concept of a "good death," an important consideration for end-of-life decision-making and palliative care. The study identified three main factors characterizing a good death as perceived by Croatians: "Awareness and Meaningfulness," "Family and God," and "Absence of Pain," with the absence of pain and presence of family being the most frequently cited attributes. Sociodemographic variables, religiosity, personal experiences with death, trust in physicians, and political worldview influenced these attitudes, highlighting differences such as older, rural, and more religious respondents valuing family presence and spiritual reconciliation more than younger, urban, and more educated groups. The findings underscore the complexity of societal attitudes toward death and suggest that these perspectives should inform healthcare planning and end-of-life care practices in Croatia.