Mental health has become the top health concern for Britons, surpassing cancer and obesity, as public anxiety grows due to the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and societal issues, according to a global survey
Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health problem most Britons worry about, a global survey has revealed. Experts said the shift in the public’s perception reflected the sharp rise in recent years in mental ill-health caused by the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis and male violence against women.
The trend is revealed in a survey of what the public in 31 countries worldwide thinks about health and the healthcare they receive, undertaken by the pollsters Ipsos. When the study began in 2018, the same proportion of British participants – 50% – identified cancer, obesity and mental health as among the biggest health problems facing the country.
But mental health has moved up the rankings to become the illness that the most number of people (54%) in England, Scotland and Wales now say is a worry.
In comparison, obesity was only mentioned in this year’s edition of the research by 36%, while cancer was also cited by slightly fewer than before (49%), even though record numbers were being diagnosed.
Opinion globally has had an even more dramatic increase in the priority people give to mental wellbeing. In 2018, 27% of people in the 31 countries said it was a pressing health concern. But now 45% do so – more than any other illness.
The trends represent a “fundamental shift in attitudes to mental health compared to 2018. Perhaps the pandemic’s biggest long-term effect on public health will be on mental heath,” Ipsos said.
Ipsos interviewed 23,667 people in 31 countries, including the US, Malaysia and India, in July and August. That included a representative selection of 1,000 Britons.
More than a million people in England are on a waiting list for NHS mental health care.
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