Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for December 27, 2019
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
December 27, 2019: Among Americans dying of natural causes, 31% passed away at home while 30% took their last breath in a hospital. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, that’s the first time in 50 years more people died at home.[1]
The data cited is from 2017, the most recent year available. Just over 20% died in a nursing facility that year. Slightly fewer than 10% passed away in a hospice facility.[1]
Researchers believe that we are likely to see a growing number of people heading home to die. “'There has been a kind of cultural shift that has romanticized dying at home and made it the only way to die,' said Carol Levine, an ethicist at the United Hospital Fund in New York."[1]
In earlier times, it was normal for people who died of natural causes to do so at home. By the 1950s, however, that changed and hospitals were the primary location. In the 1970s, at least two-thirds died in a hospital.[1]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- December 26, 2019 –63 percent of American adults say it’s impossible to go through daily life without government collecting data on them
- December 23, 2019 –23 percent of U.S. children live with a single parent
- December 20, 2019 –14.9 billion pieces of mail delivered by Postal Service this year
- December 19, 2019 –250 million dollars to be spent on advertising in support of 2020 Census
- December 18, 2019 –3 percent of Americans fought about politics during Thanksgiving
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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