- Do young people mobilize more than their elders on the donation of blood, organs, bone marrow? We interviewed our #MeYoung community with OpinionWay.
- Among the respondents, 47% have already donated blood, 56% are ready to donate bone marrow, 24% gametes and 75% organs or tissue after death.
- "We feel on the ground that young people are generous, but want to understand everything," said Hervé Le Serre, secretary general of France Adot.
Are young people generous, not to give to an association, but to save lives? On the occasion of the mobilization week for bone marrow donation, our survey * #MoiJeune, carried out with OpinionWay, reveals that 18-30 year olds are rather willing to donate their blood and their post mortem organs, a little less their bone marrow, and their gametes relatively little.
Above all, they would like to receive more information on these issues.
Generous for blood
Among the young people questioned, 47% have already donated blood. And among the latter, 47% do so at least once a year. Why do they do it? The main trigger is proximity to a center (37%), followed, almost at an equal level, by awareness campaigns (23%) and encouragement from loved ones (22%). Sign that the various operations to explain the interest of blood donation are working.
"On the age pyramid, we see in the 18-24 age group a rate of generosity higher than the average, underlines François Charpentier, spokesperson of the French Blood Establishment (EFS). Clearly, the ratio between the number of donors and the population is 7 to 9% among these young people, against 4% of the total population every year. Afterwards, there is a bias: we have a collection offer specifically dedicated to this age group, since we travel to vocational high schools, grandes écoles, universities, etc. ”
What are the obstacles for these young respondents? Almost half do not meet the criteria, and a third of them are afraid: 18% of it hurts, and 13% of the blood itself.
Majority ready to donate bone marrow
What about donating bone marrow? According to our survey, 91% of young people have already heard of it, and 53% know precisely what it is. "Given the promotional campaigns, the weeks on bone marrow donation, the actions on social networks made by the Biomedicine Agency and the EFS, the fact that during blood collections, we mention this donation, I I'm not surprised that an immense majority of young people have heard of it, ”analyzes the spokesperson for the EFS. But paradoxically, they are only 27% to feel sufficiently informed. Perhaps also that for this kind of declarative questionnaire, some do not dare to confess their ignorance (To remove doubts, this interview returns to what you need to know before giving).
When asked if they are ready to donate bone marrow, they say 56% yes. "Young people are interested in everything that makes sense, so that seems to me to be fairly consistent," says François Charpentier. But we are talking about an intention. Donating bone marrow is a file, and it is not certain that we will be called. "
"Gametes are very special cells"
On the gametes, on the other hand, only 28% of young men plan to donate their sperm, and 21% of young women their oocytes. This is, overall (24%), two times less than for bone marrow donation. This does not surprise Evelyne Marry, director of the register of bone marrow donors at the Biomedicine Agency. "Gametes are very special cells," she admits. Donating blood or bone marrow is less attractive for the future. But we also need gamete donors, there is a lot of educational work to be done. I think we will hear more about this little-known gift with the revision of the bioethics law. "
"Donating bone marrow is saving a life and it is not very complicated," says Hervé Le Serre, secretary general of France Adot (the federation of associations for the Donation of Organ and Human Tissues). While gamete donation is helping to procreate. "Since 2016, French law authorizes childless women (nulliparous) to donate their oocytes," which has made it possible to open the donation to a younger female audience, according to the Agence de Biomédecine. However, today there is still a shortage of gamete donors. "
A need for information
"We feel on the ground that the young people are generous, but want to understand everything," summarizes Hervé Le Serre. After a college lecture, many say they are ready to donate their bone marrow, for example. What this survey shows is also that awareness varies greatly depending on the type of donation. Indeed, if 88% of 18-30 year olds surveyed have already heard of blood donation at school or at work, they are only 47% for post-mortem donation, 24% for bone marrow and 22% for gametes.
"This is clearly insufficient," says the secretary general of France Adot, which in 2019 organized around 2,200 interventions in schools and educated more than 90,000 young people. “It is especially in 3rd that we are asked. Schools are much more difficult to open their doors to us, he regrets. However, it is in the final years, when they are approaching their 18th birthday, that it would be important to talk about donation. It is indeed impossible to donate blood, bone marrow or gamete before the age of majority.
Half informed relatives about post-mortem donation
It's not easy to think that you don't last forever when you're 18 ... However, 75% of those questioned are ready to donate organs or tissues after their death, and one in two has already informed their loved ones of their desire to do it. "Younger people are not necessarily aware that if we can all be donors, we can also all be recipients," said the Biomedicine Agency. “With 6% of registrants on the refusal register [according to our survey], this is what we find on the general population, insists Hervé Le Serre. What is more serious are the people who do not take a stand. "
Because since the change of the law in January 2017, which makes each French person a potential donor if he has not left a directive, many believe that it is no longer useful to talk to his loved ones about this decision. But the law remains vague and leaves room for the decision of relatives. "Hospital coordination is often found with relatives who do not know the wishes of the deceased," he continues. In fact, since 2017, the refusal rate hasn't dropped much: we went from 33% to 30% in 2019. ”
* The 20 Minutes - Opinion Way survey was conducted online on March 4, 2020 with a representative sample of 514 young people aged 18 to 30, according to the quota method.
If you are between 18 and 30 years old, you can take part in the “#MOIJEUNE” project, a series of surveys launched by 20 Minutes and built with and for young people. All the info to register online here.
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