Three in 10 Brits want to be cremated with ashes scattered in nature after death

21 April 2023 , 16:08

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Brits have revealed the top things they would like to happen to their bodies after they die – from being cremated and having their ashes scattered in nature, to being buried at sea, a study has found.

A poll of 2,000 adults found that less than a quarter (23%) admit to never having thought about their own end-of-life arrangements.

But of those who are prepared for the inevitable, some of their top options for their remains include a traditional burial in a wooden coffin, being buried under a tree – or having a “Viking Funeral”, where their bodies are sent out into water on a boat that is then set on fire with a flaming arrow.

Three in ten (29%) would go down the cremation route – and would then like their ashes to be formed into a diamond (7%) or other jewellery, or inked into a loved one's tattoo (4%).

And other popular choices for their ashes include being turned into a firework, shot into space, or mixed into paint to create a piece of art or a portrait.

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Many Brits wish for their ashes to be scattered in nature (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A quarter of those polled (24%) would consider donating their organs and tissues so they could “live on” through others – and more than one in ten (11%) would be happy to donate their entire body to science.

But adults have also thought about what they would not like to come back as after death – with 38% saying returning as a zombie would be their least favourite option.

This was followed by an after-life as a spider (34%), a vampire (31%), a pigeon (30%), or a ghost (24%).

The research was commissioned to launch video game Dead Island 2, which has teamed up with insurance company, DeadHappy, to give people the opportunity to take out a Deathwish – which will ensure there are “no un-wanted comebacks” in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

Nearly one in ten would want their ashes to be formed into a diamond when they die (SWNS)

Simon Turner, spokesman from game creators PLAION UK, said: “Thinking about what you want to happen once you pass on isn’t easy for most.

“However, we’re pretty sure most people would agree they wouldn’t love to come back as a zombie – hell-bent on feasting on the flesh of their former loved ones.

“There’s no harm in being prepared for the unexpected – and taking out a Deathwish for this unlikely event could pay dividends.”

It also emerged that almost half (47%) believe that in the future, traditional cremations and burials will be a thing of the past, as people get more creative with what they want to happen to their bodies.

The study, commissioned via OnePoll, also found that when it comes to a zombie apocalypse, 18% consider themselves at least somewhat prepared for one.

However, only 9% are “very confident” they’d survive such a scenario, with 32% “very unconfident” they’d last.

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TOP 25 THINGS BRITS WOULD CONSIDER FOR THEIR REMAINS AFTER DEATH:

Be cremated and have your ashes scattered somewhere in nature
Donate your organs and tissue
Be buried under a tree
Traditional burial underground in a wooden coffin
Donate your entire body to science
Be transformed into a healthy soil and used for conservation
Be buried underground in a bio-degradable coffin
Be cremated and have your ashes turned into a diamond
Be cremated and have your ashes turned into other jewellery
Be given a “Viking Funeral” (Have your body sent out into a body of water on a boat and then set on fire with a flaming arrow)
Be cremated and have your ashes turned into a firework
Be cremated and have your ashes buried in coral reef in the ocean
Donate your body to an outdoor forensic anthropology lab where scientists can study human decomposition
Be cremated and have your ashes scattered on the ground of your favourite football team
Be cremated and have your ashes shot into space
Be cremated and have your ashes used to make a decorative paperweight or glass sculpture
Be buried, but not in any kind of container
Be buried at sea
Be plastinated (a form of preservation) for anatomical education
Be cremated and have your ashes mixed into ink so a loved one could use it in a tattoo
Be fed to the birds, as per the Tibetan ritual of “Sky Burial”
Be buried inside a gothic-style crypt outdoors
Be cremated and have your ashes pressed into a vinyl record
Be cremated and mixed into paint to create art or a portrait
Be buried indoors in a mausoleum