The Death Literacy Index

The Death Literacy Index is a 29-item survey tool with four scales that provide information about:

1. Practical Knowledge (8 items)

   Practical Knowledge includes two subscales—Talking support (4 items) and Doing hands-on care (4 items)

2. Experiential Knowledge (5 items)

3. Factual Knowledge (7 items)

4. Community Knowledge (9 items)

   Community Knowledge includes two subscales - Others can help me provide end-of-life care (5 items) and Support groups in my community (4 items) subscales.

All items in the scale are rated using a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 to 5.

The Death Literacy Index was revised in 2024 (click here).

The revised version has improved question wording and instructions.

The original research and article can be found here:

You can see the DLI-R below.

Please EMAIL us if you would like a paper copy or if you would like more information about the DLI.