In February 2021, the National Mental Health Commission (the Commission) approached the BETA to help deliver a national survey of mental health-related stigma and discrimination.
The purpose of the survey was to support the Commission to develop and evaluate the National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy (the Strategy). Selected findings from the survey are included in the Strategy. The purpose of this report is to provide a full description of the survey methods and findings.
The survey was completed in August 2021 by 7,873 Australians aged 18+ on a computer or by phone.
The main findings from this survey are described across three sections in this report that correspond to the structure of the Strategy (public stigma, structural stigma and self-stigma).
Based on our survey, we estimate over four million Australians experienced mental health-related stigma and discrimination in the prior 12 months.
