Survey Results

Teletransporter (new matter): death or survival?

Population

AOS

Region

for

Exclude answers beyond respondent's first 50

Include skip/insufficiently familiar answers

1575 respondents

What the percentages mean: "Accept or lean toward P: 50% (40%)" means that 50% of respondents endorsed this answer inclusively (including multiple-answer endorsements) and 40% endorsed this answer exclusively (excluding multiple-answer endorsements).

These results should not be used for comparison to 2009 results due to different populations and parameters. For meaningful longitudinal comparisons, see the longitudinal analysis section.

Collapse accept and lean towards

Accept or lean towards:
survival

35.24% (34.79%)

Reject or lean against:
survival

0.13% (0.00%)

Accept or lean towards:
death

40.06% (39.68%)

Reject or lean against:
death

0.13% (0.00%)

Accept a combination of views

0.76%

Accept an alternative view

1.84%

The question is too unclear to answer

4.76%

There is no fact of the matter

7.49%

Agnostic/undecided

10.10%

Other

0.57%

N = 1575, excluding skipped & insufficiently familiar (210 respondents)

Alternative Views

37 target respondents indicated that they accept or lean toward an alternative view. The words used in their responses cluster as follows. These results are not filtered by AOS, region, etc.

DEPE (5): depends (5)
MATT (4): matter (3) matters (1)

Longitudinal comparison to 2009 survey

Comparison type

AOS

Geographic filters do not apply to this section.

Option

2009

2020

Change

Swing

Option

Accept or lean towards: survival

36.2%

35.96%

0.24

-1.68

2009	36.2%
2020	35.96%
Change	0.24
Swing	-1.68

Accept or lean towards: death

31.15%

34.26%

3.11

1.68

2009	31.15%
2020	34.26%
Change	3.11
Swing	1.68

Accept a combination of views

1.5%

0.62%

0.88

2009	1.5%
2020	0.62%
Change	0.88

Accept an alternative view

0.75%

1.54%

0.79

2009	0.75%
2020	1.54%
Change	0.79

The question is too unclear to answer

3.65%

4.01%

0.36

2009	3.65%
2020	4.01%
Change	0.36

There is no fact of the matter

6.02%

6.17%

0.15

2009	6.02%
2020	6.17%
Change	0.15

Insufficiently familiar with the issue

9.24%

6.02%

3.22

2009	9.24%
2020	6.02%
Change	3.22

Agnostic/undecided

8.59%

10.03%

1.44

2009	8.59%
2020	10.03%
Change	1.44

Skipped

2.04%

1.23%

0.81

2009	2.04%
2020	1.23%
Change	0.81

Other

0.86%

0.15%

0.71

2009	0.86%
2020	0.15%
Change	0.71

N (2020) = 648
N (2009) = 931

Weighted values

Option	2009	2020	Change
Survival	40.93	40.09	0.84
Death	43.33	39.5	3.83

Strongest correlations with main questions (target population)

r: 0.65	Mind uploading: survival
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	207	114
Reject	50	435

n: 806

p < 0.0001

r: 0.34	Personal identity: psychological view
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	351	132
Reject	238	397

n: 1118

p < 0.0001

r: -0.29	Personal identity: biological view
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	59	424
Reject	204	431

n: 1118

p < 0.0001

r: 0.27	Quantum mechanics: many-worlds
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	51	114
Reject	41	213

n: 419

p < 0.0001

r: 0.27	Other minds: future AI systems
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	197	145
Reject	162	344

n: 848

p < 0.0001

r: 0.23	Time travel: metaphysically possible
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	176	129
Reject	165	259

n: 729

p < 0.0001

r: -0.22	Temporal ontology: presentism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	26	193
Reject	86	249

n: 554

p < 0.0001

r: -0.22	Cosmological fine-tuning: design
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	18	233
Reject	97	285

n: 633

p < 0.0001

r: 0.2	Temporal ontology: eternalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	121	99
Reject	129	205

n: 554

p < 0.0001

r: 0.2	Abortion: permissible
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	329	24
Reject	392	111

n: 856

p < 0.0001

r: 0.19	Human genetic engineering: permissible
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	261	60
Reject	297	164

n: 782

p < 0.0001

r: -0.19	Morality: non-naturalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	65	237
Reject	166	303

n: 771

p < 0.0001

r: -0.18	Material composition: restrictivism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	57	101
Reject	120	142

n: 420

p: 0.0002

r: 0.18	Chinese room: understands
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	81	227
Reject	68	404

n: 780

p < 0.0001

r: 0.18	Mind: physicalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	347	170
Reject	356	346

n: 1219

p < 0.0001

r: 0.17	Perceptual experience: representationalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	212	181
Reject	211	327

n: 931

p < 0.0001

r: 0.17	Cosmological fine-tuning: multiverse
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	57	192
Reject	54	330

n: 633

p < 0.0001

r: -0.16	Practical reason: Aristotelian
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	91	175
Reject	174	202

n: 642

p < 0.0001

r: 0.16	Normative ethics: consequentialism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	207	286
Reject	198	476

n: 1167

p < 0.0001

r: 0.16	Footbridge: push
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	152	343
Reject	147	556

n: 1198

p < 0.0001

r: 0.16	Gender: social
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	365	116
Reject	423	223

n: 1127

p < 0.0001

r: 0.15	Experience machine: yes
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	94	412
Reject	80	643

n: 1229

p < 0.0001

r: 0.15	Units of selection: genes
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	110	80
Reject	128	159

n: 477

p: 0.0009

r: 0.15	Practical reason: Humean
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	105	161
Reject	109	267

n: 642

p: 0.0002

r: 0.15	Causation: counterfactual/difference-making
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	136	142
Reject	137	258

n: 673

p < 0.0001

r: -0.14	Free will: libertarianism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	68	451
Reject	181	561

n: 1261

p < 0.0001

r: -0.14	Time: A-theory
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	86	229
Reject	172	321

n: 808

p < 0.0001

r: 0.14	Material composition: universalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	66	92
Reject	67	195

n: 420

p: 0.0034

r: 0.14	Consciousness: functionalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	150	162
Reject	134	295

n: 741

p < 0.0001

r: -0.14	Consciousness: dualism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	60	248
Reject	130	300

n: 738

p < 0.0001

r: -0.13	Gender: biological
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	128	348
Reject	228	416

n: 1120

p < 0.0001

r: -0.13	Causation: primitive
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	46	228
Reject	102	290

n: 666

p: 0.0007

r: -0.13	Perceptual experience: disjunctivism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	46	342
Reject	126	411

n: 925

p < 0.0001

r: 0.13	Free will: compatibilism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	375	146
Reject	438	305

n: 1264

p < 0.0001

r: 0.13	Possible worlds: concrete
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	23	305
Reject	19	464

n: 811

p: 0.0003

r: -0.13	God: theism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	77	457
Reject	182	555

n: 1271

p < 0.0001

r: 0.12	Philosophical methods: conceptual engineering
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	255	273
Reject	280	445

n: 1253

p < 0.0001

r: -0.12	Foundations of mathematics: constructivism/intuitionism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	21	157
Reject	44	193

n: 415

p: 0.0114

r: 0.12	Laws of nature: Humean
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	175	302
Reject	177	491

n: 1145

p < 0.0001

r: 0.12	Political philosophy: egalitarianism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	245	174
Reject	281	326

n: 1026

p < 0.0001

r: 0.12	Other minds: current AI systems
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	13	329
Reject	14	492

n: 848

p: 0.0006

r: -0.11	Personal identity: further-fact view
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	67	411
Reject	136	494

n: 1108

p < 0.0001

r: -0.11	Properties: transcendent universals
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	38	184
Reject	93	254

n: 569

p: 0.0084

r: 0.11	Metaphilosophy: naturalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	277	157
Reject	320	286

n: 1040

p: 0.0004

r: 0.1	Race: social
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	367	118
Reject	436	220

n: 1141

p: 0.0004

r: 0.1	Gender categories: eliminate
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	65	232
Reject	59	367

n: 723

p: 0.005

r: -0.1	Hume: skeptic
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	92	167
Reject	160	221

n: 640

p: 0.0094

r: 0.1	Extended mind: yes
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	174	126
Reject	214	213

n: 727

p: 0.0077

r: 0.1	Morality: expressivism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	39	263
Reject	44	427

n: 773

p: 0.0068

r: 0.1	Theory of reference: deflationary
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	54	202
Reject	50	324

n: 630

p: 0.0159

r: -0.1	Political philosophy: communitarianism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	103	314
Reject	198	406

n: 1021

p: 0.0022

r: -0.1	Meta-ethics: moral realism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	331	183
Reject	529	202

n: 1245

p: 0.0008

r: 0.09	Propositions: sets
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	33	189
Reject	24	336

n: 582

p: 0.0219

r: 0.09	Cosmological fine-tuning: no fine-tuning
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	72	177
Reject	75	304

n: 628

p: 0.0184

r: -0.09	Meaning of life: objective
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	163	294
Reject	269	346

n: 1072

p: 0.0025

r: 0.09	Propositional attitudes: representational
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	128	95
Reject	182	184

n: 589

p: 0.0257

r: 0.09	Morality: constructivism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	80	224
Reject	85	387

n: 776

p: 0.0112

r: -0.09	Arguments for theism: cosmological
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	56	211
Reject	121	286

n: 674

p: 0.0194

r: 0.09	Properties: classes
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	35	186
Reject	34	312

n: 567

p: 0.0341

r: -0.09	Gender categories: preserve
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	48	249
Reject	111	313

n: 721

p: 0.0187

r: 0.09	Trolley problem: switch
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	400	98
Reject	488	180

n: 1166

p: 0.0032

r: -0.08	Race categories: preserve
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	252
Reject	40	369

n: 681

p: 0.0373

r: -0.08	Politics: capitalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	101	192
Reject	166	260

n: 719

p: 0.0326

r: -0.08	Race: unreal
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	73	403
Reject	112	531

n: 1119

p: 0.0096

r: -0.08	Possible worlds: nonexistent
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	89	237
Reject	162	321

n: 809

p: 0.0309

r: 0.07	Truth: epistemic
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	54	422
Reject	62	618

n: 1156

p: 0.0124

r: 0.07	Philosophical methods: experimental philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	195	333
Reject	227	498

n: 1253

p: 0.0095

r: 0.07	Mental content: internalism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	147	305
Reject	165	471

n: 1088

p: 0.0263

r: -0.07	Philosophical methods: intuition-based philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	274	254
Reject	428	297

n: 1253

p: 0.021

r: 0.06	Knowledge claims: contextualism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	265	173
Reject	340	285

n: 1063

p: 0.0344

r: -0.06	Eating animals and animal products: omnivorism (yes and yes)
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	269	250
Reject	387	354

n: 1260

p: 0.0286

r: 0.06	Philosophical methods: empirical philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	340	188
Reject	457	268

n: 1253

p: 0.0381

r: -0.06	Philosophical methods: linguistic philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	238	290
Reject	370	355

n: 1253

p: 0.0395

r: -0.06	Moral judgment: cognitivism
Teletransporter: survival	Accept	Reject
Accept	367	124
Reject	539	174

n: 1204

p: 0.0446

Strongest correlations with demographic questions (target population)

r: 0.12	Philosopher: Lewis
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	54	319
Reject	44	525

n: 942

p: 0.0003

r: 0.1	Philosopher: Arendt
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	8	365
Reject	1	568

n: 942

p: 0.002

r: -0.1	Philosopher: Aristotle
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	63	310
Reject	120	449

n: 942

p: 0.0024

r: -0.09	Philosopher: Leibniz
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	6	367
Reject	29	540

n: 942

p: 0.0084

r: -0.08	AOS: Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	7	538
Reject	30	734

n: 1309

p: 0.0033

r: 0.08	AOS: Philosophy of Physical Science
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	32	513
Reject	22	742

n: 1309

p: 0.0063

r: 0.07	Region of PhD: Oceania
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	22	377
Reject	19	525

n: 943

p: 0.0219

r: -0.07	Philosopher: Moore
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	7	366
Reject	26	543

n: 942

p: 0.0238

r: -0.07	AOS: Philosophy of Action
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	30	515
Reject	58	706

n: 1309

p: 0.0084

r: 0.07	AOS: Social and Political Philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	105	440
Reject	103	661

n: 1309

p: 0.0126

r: -0.07	AOS: Philosophy of Religion
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	31	514
Reject	78	686

n: 1309

p: 0.0138

r: 0.07	AOS: Feminist Philosophy
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	30	515
Reject	27	737

n: 1309

p: 0.0158

r: 0.07	AOS: Decision Theory
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	19	526
Reject	20	744

n: 1309

p: 0.0177

r: 0.06	AOS: General Philosophy of Science
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	71	474
Reject	72	692

n: 1309

p: 0.019

r: 0.06	Philosopher: Rawls
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	34	339
Reject	26	543

n: 942

p: 0.0477

r: 0.06	Philosopher: Carnap
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	28	345
Reject	31	538

n: 942

p: 0.0482

r: 0.06	Tradition: Analytic
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	492	46
Reject	659	99

n: 1296

p: 0.0218

r: 0.06	AOS: Philosophy of Mathematics
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	20	525
Reject	17	747

n: 1309

p: 0.0306

r: 0.06	Other demographics: YOB
Teletransporter: survival	Yes	No
Accept	269	246
Reject	323	390

n: 1228

p: 0.0413