Research on discrimination

Research into the impact of discrimination and public attitudes towards mental health has shaped the Time to Change campaign. Here is an outline of what this research showed:

Stigma Shout

Stigma Shout surveyRethink carried out research into people’s experiences of discrimination as part of the planning for the social marketing element of Time to Change. This research included the largest ever survey of almost 4,000 people with direct experience of mental health problems and in-depth workshops involving over 100 people.

The survey helped identify where stigma and discrimination take place and which groups of people cause the most stigma and discrimination. The findings were then used in workshops to explore in depth how people identified in the survey behaved and where discrimination was happening.

The Stigma Shout survey and workshops provided a comprehensive picture of people’s experiences of stigma and discrimination and have identified a number of audiences for Time to Change to target with our campaign.

Department of Health – Attitudes to Mental Illness research

The Department of Health conducts surveys every year to find out about public attitudes towards mental health. The surveys serve as a benchmark, measuring whether attitudes improve or worsen over time.

The latest national statistics on Attitudes to Mental Illness produced by the Department of Health were released on May 8, 2008.

Some key findings from the report:

  • 1 in 8 people would not want to live next door to someone who has had a mental health problem
  • Nearly six out of ten people describe a person with a mental health problem as “someone who has to be kept in a psychiatric or mental hospital”
  • One third of people think people with mental health problems should not have the same rights to a job as everyone else
  • Only 31% of people think mental hospitals are an outdated means of treating people

Download the Department of Health - Attitudes to mental illness report