Organ Donation: Why don't more people do it?

Two main reasons I can think of...

1. People think they will need their organs in the afterlife.

2. Some people believe medical personnel are less likely to revive you.

I don't want the doctors pulling the plug on me prematurely. My family knows that when I pass, any organs I have that are still good they're free to donate. I didn't want the little heart on my DL.

Bc I don't want no damn docter slacking bc he wants mah orgins.

Or to be hunted down by people who need mah orgins. They might see my id when I'm getting cigs and hunt me down for my lungs...

Many people won't do anything unless there is something in it for them.

Because of this this and this and many more such cases.

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I won't need my organs when I die so why not give them to someone to save their life.

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Thats my outlook on it

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This article says that 18 people die everyday on the organ transplant waiting list, and just one organ donor can save or improve up to 50 peoples lives.

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Here's how it works: only certain kinds of injury before death lead people to a position where they can donate soft organs (heart, lungs, liver , kidneys, pancreas, etx). Moreover, when that person is brain dead and being kept alive by a ventilator, they have limited amounts of time to "match" someone for transplant. It's way more intense than matching for a blood donation ( exception is the liver, I believe), because the recipient needs to be safe ( otherwise their body would slowly calcify/ruin the new organ). The rate of people becoming brain death + matching these other people while also not having major infectious diseases (either long term like HIV or hepatitis c, or short term like a systemic bacterial infection) is lower than ideal for people on the list. Kidneys can be donated after death in special circumstances. I've seen it once in 5 or so years of being involved with these sorts of things. When you see the number "50" they include things like tendons, ligaments, heart valves (in non-heart donors), bones, skin, and corneas. These types of donation can be done in almost any type of death in people without current infectious disease. And they're done very commonly.
Lastly, outside of the number of instances that this arises, the family is contacted immediately after they have learned of their loved (usually) one's untimely passing and are asked if the deceased would've wanted to donate. They then explain the procedure. For organs, they make an incision from just under the neckline to just above the pubic bone and put a clamp on the aorta then take most internal organs out. Then they sew it back up. For the eyes, you have to explain that you're going to cut the front part (or all in some cases) of the person's eye out. This particularly freaks some people out. Then for bones and stuff, they have to explain how they basically make incisions from just below shoulder to just above wrist, just below hip to just above ankle. They'll forego the upper limb stuff if the person is to be buried in short sleeves. But in all cases , the body is put back together/sewn back up so that people at the funeral would never know that the person is missing their eyes, most of their bones, and most of their organs. It's not pleasant to think of your loved one being butchered like that after they, say, got in a car wreck merely hours before. The timing is a big factor, the thought of the process is another.
I agree though, I wish more people donated when eligible.

Agree with reasons already stated. Also, it just freaks some people out to have their organs harvested (per my own research). My personal opinion is it would be a whole lot better if the U.S. used auto-consent (you were automatically enrolled and have to opt out).

My dad has been on the liver transplant list for 2.5 years (alcoholic cirrhosis). There are also many people that disagree with giving an alcoholic a new liver.

I think many non-donors simply have not experienced a close friend or family member dying or having their life saved over an organ donation. And they can't empathize.

I was an organ doner until I saw "Superbad" then I immediately drove to the DMV and had it switched.

I was sick with a type of cancer when I was a child. Lots of blood transfusions, chemo, methotrexate, etc. Regardless of how often blood cells are regenerated, doctors told me it would be in my best interest to not elect to donate blood, plasma, and organs in my lifetime.