A poll out Monday showed that more than 60% of Italians side with Piergiorgio Welby, a terminally ill man whose request to die has stirred the euthanasia debate in Italy.
Of the 1,000 Italians who were polled telephonically about the Welby case by a research institute, 64% said his assisted suicide appeal should be heeded.
Only 20% said doctors should refuse Welby's request.
A breakdown of the data showed that 50% of practising Catholics were in favour of helping Welby to end his life, with the figure rising to 71% among non-practising Catholics and 95% among agnostics and atheists.
The poll appeared to show that Italians are more open to the idea of assisted suicide than parliamentarians, many of whom are Catholics and follow the Church's teaching that life should end at the moment of natural death.
Welby, 51, suffers from advanced muscular dystrophy and is no longer able to move. He breathes through a respirator, communicates via a voice synthesiser and receives nourishment through a feeding tube.
He recently appealed to President Giorgio Napolitano and the parliament to legalise mercy killing so that he could "die in dignity".
A group of lawmakers are now working on a draft law which would legalise 'living wills' but stop short of permitting euthanasia.
Living wills, or biological testaments, are legal documents in which a person dictates patient treatment preferences in the event of an incapacitating illness, allowing him or her to reject excessive life-prolonging treatments.
Most MPs are in favour of living wills and the Vatican has also expressed cautious approval of the idea providing euthanasia is excluded.
In the meantime, the Radical party, a small group in the nine-party governing coalition which is pro-euthanasia, has vowed to help Welby end his life.
The party began a two-day hunger strike on Monday to raise public awareness of Welby's plight.
It said more than 550 people were taking part in the hunger strike, including Radical heavyweight and EU Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Emma Bonino.
"Nobody has the right to condemn another person to torture, and that's exactly what's happening here... I believe it's important that public institutions respond to the issue which was raised by Welby back in September," Bonino said.
The Radicals are lobbying parliament to legalise mercy killing, which is currently only permitted in Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the US state of Oregon.
In an open letter to parliament last month, Welby said Italian lawmakers had left him no choice but to carry out an act of "civil disobedience" with the aid of the Radicals.
"Despite my public request that I be sedated and my respirator switched off, nobody wants to take this responsibility. Therefore, the only path open to me is that of civil disobedience," he said.
