Public stigma of mental illness in Australia: shifts in attitudes across nationally representative surveys in 2011 and 2024

Abstract

Aims Reducing stigma and discrimination towards people with mental ill-health is a key priority in Australian mental health policy. Population-based surveys conducted in Australia between 2003 and 2011 showed some improvement in stigmatising attitudes, but also a deterioration in attitudes about dangerousness and unpredictability, particularly in relation to schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate whether stigmatising attitudes have changed since the 2011 national survey. Methods Two large, nationally representative samples of Australian adults were surveyed in 2011 (n = 1967) and 2024 (n = 1984). At each time point, participants were presented with vignettes of a person in the early ..