Introduction:
This study aims to assess medical students’ awareness and opinions regarding body donation for anatomy education and research, including concerns about donation and personal considerations for donating one’s body.

Material and methods:
The anonymous survey, comprising 20 questions, was completed by 528 medical students from across Poland (366 females and 162 males). Participation in the study was voluntary. The Shapiro–Wilk test was used to determine statistical distribution in the analyzed respondents. The chi-square test was used to compare demographic groups. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results:
35.4% of respondents consider donating their bodies for scientific and educational purposes. More atheists wanted to donate the organs after death than Catholics (p = 0.03). The year of study and placeof residence do not influence the willingness to donate the body for scientific purposes (p = 0.55 and p = 0.23), but females were more willing to donate the organs after death than males (p = 0.002). The willingness to donate body before medical studies affected the willingness to donate body during medical studies (p < 0.001). The lack of respect from students towards cadavers is the main concern regarding body donation (42.4%). 93.9% respondents think that it is not possible to teach the anatomy without the access to a human body.

Conclusions:
Participation in dissection room classes increases students’ willingness to donate their own bodies. The primary barrier remains the fear of disrespect toward the cadaver. Since learning about the donor’s life story fosters respect, we recommend transitioning from anonymous approach to cadavers toward personalizing donor information and student participation in memorial ceremonies.