Mental Health Australia - Essential polling report: A public mandate for mental health action

Mental Health Australia commissioned Essential Research to explore how Australians view access to mental health support and how well governments are meeting mental health needs.

This report focuses on the gap between the importance Australians place on mental health support and what they can access and afford, ahead of negotiations on the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.

Key findings:

• Two in three people (68%) believe governments should invest more in mental health support.
• More people (41%) would rather pay more tax to fund free or low-cost mental health support than accept the current state of mental health funding (32%). 
• More than two in five people (43%) say governments are handling mental health poorly.
• Two in three people (65%) believe there is a gap between the mental health support people need and what is currently available.
• Fewer than half (49%) of people believe they could afford mental health care if they needed it. 
• Four in five people (81%) agree cost should not prevent people from accessing mental health support.
• There is strong concern for mental health and wellbeing of families and younger generations (64%).
   

You can read the full report at the button below.