The National Stigma Report Card presents the findings from Our Turn to Speak, the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Australia. The findings strongly reinforce the importance of continuing to work collaboratively to build an Australia free from stigma and discrimination. SANE Australia and our partners will use the National Stigma Report Card to drive meaningful, systemic change that sees people affected by complex mental health issues being supported and included as equal members of our community. Recommendations by life domain Image Relationships Relationships play an important role in all our lives. Connection with others – whether they be family members, friends or romantic partners – can improve wellbeing and provide support during challenging times. Read more Image Employment Having something meaningful to do is vital for mental health. Being employed can contribute to our sense of purpose and accomplishment. Read more Image Healthcare services Access to healthcare is critical to supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing. Mental health issues often occur in the context of physical problems. Read more Image Social media Social media has become an almost ubiquitous part of our lives, helping us to connect with others and the world around us. Read more See all Life Domains Top 10 data points 5 71.8% of participants said they had experienced stigma or discrimination when accessing mental healthcare in the previous year. Almost 60% of those who answered questions about this life domain said their experience of stigma or discrimination when accessing mental healthcare services had been ‘frequent’ or ‘very frequent’. Many said they had avoided important things, like getting help for their mental health issues when they needed it. Read more 6 Close to 25% of participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when watching, reading or listening to mass media, like news and entertainment media. On average, 90% of participants who answered questions about these experiences said they had seen, read or heard mass media content that portrayed people living with mental health issues as dangerous, unsafe or unpredictable, being to blame for their issues, or being incapable of recovery or getting better. Read more 7 12% of all participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when accessing welfare and social services. On average, 79% of participants who answered questions about this life domain said they expected to experience future stigma or discrimination in this area of their lives, like being treated unfairly by welfare or social services staff members. Read more 8 10.5% of participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when accessing education and training during the past year. On average, 70% of participants said they had avoided important things, like applying for education or training courses, including scholarship opportunities, seeking support or assistance from teachers, lecturers, tutors or trainers, or asking for flexible study arrangements. Read more Load more top 10 data points Visit the data dashboard to explore all the data Image Real people, real stories The National Stigma Report Card is not just about numbers. Stigma and discrimination have a very real impact on the lives of people living with complex mental health issues. The voices of people with lived experience must not only be heard, but also be the cornerstone of policy decisions and system redesign, to ensure change is effective and sustainable. Read real people’s stories Image Explore the data Our online data explorer is an interactive tool which allows you to explore the Our Turn to Speak findings further. You can compare survey results from different life domains, mental health issues, and demographics. Visit the data explorer
Image Relationships Relationships play an important role in all our lives. Connection with others – whether they be family members, friends or romantic partners – can improve wellbeing and provide support during challenging times. Read more
Image Employment Having something meaningful to do is vital for mental health. Being employed can contribute to our sense of purpose and accomplishment. Read more
Image Healthcare services Access to healthcare is critical to supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing. Mental health issues often occur in the context of physical problems. Read more
Image Social media Social media has become an almost ubiquitous part of our lives, helping us to connect with others and the world around us. Read more
5 71.8% of participants said they had experienced stigma or discrimination when accessing mental healthcare in the previous year. Almost 60% of those who answered questions about this life domain said their experience of stigma or discrimination when accessing mental healthcare services had been ‘frequent’ or ‘very frequent’. Many said they had avoided important things, like getting help for their mental health issues when they needed it. Read more
6 Close to 25% of participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when watching, reading or listening to mass media, like news and entertainment media. On average, 90% of participants who answered questions about these experiences said they had seen, read or heard mass media content that portrayed people living with mental health issues as dangerous, unsafe or unpredictable, being to blame for their issues, or being incapable of recovery or getting better. Read more
7 12% of all participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when accessing welfare and social services. On average, 79% of participants who answered questions about this life domain said they expected to experience future stigma or discrimination in this area of their lives, like being treated unfairly by welfare or social services staff members. Read more
8 10.5% of participants said they had been most affected by stigma about mental health issues when accessing education and training during the past year. On average, 70% of participants said they had avoided important things, like applying for education or training courses, including scholarship opportunities, seeking support or assistance from teachers, lecturers, tutors or trainers, or asking for flexible study arrangements. Read more
