How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health

Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.

To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.

Download the report here.

Technology

For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.

While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis. 

Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.

Age and Gender

When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.

Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.

Race Affects Attitudes

As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).

Black Americans, however, are the most likely to engage in self-help (68% vs 58% on average) and more likely to be aware of resources. Black women, in particular, are good role models when it comes to mental health awareness. According to The Black Consumer Project, 63% of Black women believe that mental health is an essential part of overall health compared to 50% of non-Blacks.

The Role of Medication

Opinions on the role medication plays in the treatment of mental health vary considerably by age. When asked whether medication is the best treatment for mental health issues, the most significant difference we saw was the split between Millennials where 40% think medication is the best treatment, and Boomers, where only 13% believe medication is best.

We also saw differences by race with Asians being the least likely to think medication was best (20% vs. 30% for non-Hispanic Whites) and gender, with men being more likely than women to believe in medication (13% vs 8%). Thirty-two percent of men, however, think you can “snap out of” mental health problems vs. only 20% of women who agree. Men are more likely than women to believe that most mental health problems can be easily fixed (37% vs 22%), so their higher support for medicine may be masking other attitudes.

What’s next for mental health in America?

America faces diverse and interconnected mental health challenges influenced by technology, age, ethnicity and external factors. Understanding these differences can help when developing messaging and services that reach individuals most in need of assistance. While our society is starting to normalize talking about mental health, we still lack supportive environments and services are often difficult to access. Technology like social media can harm our mental health if not managed, but technological innovations like telemedicine and wellness apps can guide and support us in improving our outlook. A holistic and inclusive approach with open dialogue, support systems, and awareness is vital in navigating towards a healthier, more mentally resilient society.