TABLE 1—
Adjusted Percentages of Respondents Agreeing With Statements Regarding Mental Illness, by Sociodemographic and Chronic Disease Status: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2007 and 2009
| Level of Agreement,a % (95% CI) |
||||||
| Characteristic | Sample Size, No. | Agree Strongly | Agree Slightly | Neither Agree nor Disagree | Disagree Slightly | Disagree Strongly |
| “Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives” | ||||||
| Overall | 243 062 | 67.2 (66.7, 67.7) | 25.8 (25.3, 26.3) | 1.8 (1.6, 2.0) | 3.7 (3.5, 4.0) | 1.5 (1.3, 1.6) |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 93 981 | 62.1 (61.3, 62.8) | 29.7 (29.0, 30.4) | 2.0 (1.7, 2.3) | 4.5 (4.1, 4.8) | 1.8 (1.5, 2.0) |
| Female | 149 081 | 72.2 (71.7, 72.8) | 22.0 (21.5, 22.6) | 1.5 (1.3, 1.7) | 3.0 (2.7, 3.3) | 1.2 (1.0, 1.4) |
| Age group, y | ||||||
| 18–24 | 7 393 | 56.4 (54.1, 58.7) | 35.2 (32.9, 37.4) | 1.7 (0.9, 2.6) | 5.3 (4.3, 6.2) | 1.4 (0.9, 1.9) |
| 25–34 | 25 391 | 63.5 (62.3, 64.8) | 28.8 (27.6, 30.0) | 1.7 (1.4, 2.0) | 4.3 (3.7, 5.0) | 1.6 (1.2, 2.0) |
| 35–54 | 93 287 | 69.9 (69.2, 70.5) | 23.9 (23.3, 24.5) | 1.6 (1.4, 1.9) | 3.2 (2.9, 3.5) | 1.4 (1.2, 1.6) |
| ≥ 55 | 116 991 | 69.7 (69.0, 70.4) | 23.4 (22.7, 24.0) | 2.0 (1.8, 2.3) | 3.5 (3.1, 3.8) | 1.5 (1.2, 1.7) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 194, 639 | 69.5 (69.0, 70.0) | 24.6 (24.1, 25.1) | 1.6 (1.4, 1.7) | 3.2 (3.0, 2.4) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 19 642 | 65.3 (63.7, 66.9) | 25.1 (23.5, 26.6) | 1.9 (1.4, 2.3) | 5.7 (4.9, 6.5) | 2.1 (1.7, 2.5) |
| Hispanic | 15 853 | 60.8 (59.0, 62.5) | 30.4 (28.7, 32.0) | 2.5 (1.8, 3.2) | 4.3 (3.6, 5.0) | 2.0 (1.5, 2.5) |
| Other non-Hispanic | 12 928 | 61.6 (59.3, 63.9) | 29.7 (27.5, 31.9) | 1.8 (1.2, 2.5) | 4.6 (3.6, 5.5) | 2.3 (1.5, 3.2) |
| Educational level | ||||||
| < high school | 19 848 | 63.2 (61.4, 65.1) | 28.4 (26.6, 30.1) | 1.9 (1.4, 2.4) | 4.3 (3.6, 5.0) | 2.2 (1.7, 2.7) |
| High school graduate or GED | 68 605 | 63.2 (62.3, 64.2) | 28.6 (27.7, 29.5) | 1.9 (1.6, 2.2) | 4.6 (4.1, 5.0) | 1.7 (1.4, 1.9) |
| Some college | 66 618 | 66.8 (65.9, 67.7) | 26.3 (25.5, 27.2) | 1.9 (1.5, 2.4) | 3.7 (3.3, 4.1) | 1.3 (1.0, 1.5) |
| College graduate | 87 991 | 72.1 (71.3, 72.9) | 22.7 (22.0, 23.5) | 1.5 (1.2, 1.8) | 2.7 (2.3, 3.0) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.3) |
| Annual household income, $ | ||||||
| < 20 000 | 43 265 | 62.2 (60.9, 63.6) | 28.5 (27.2, 29.9) | 2.3 (1.6, 2.9) | 5.0 (4.3, 5.6) | 2.0 (1.6, 2.3) |
| 20 000–34 999 | 51 921 | 64.6 (63.5, 65.6) | 27.3 (26.2, 28.3) | 2.0 (1.6, 2.3) | 4.4 (3.9, 4.9) | 1.8 (1.5, 2.2) |
| 35 000–49 999 | 39 279 | 67.8 (66.7, 68.9) | 25.7 (24.6, 26.8) | 1.8 (1.5, 2.1) | 3.4 (3.0, 3.9) | 1.3 (1.0, 1.5) |
| 50 000–74 999 | 42 157 | 68.8 (67.7, 69.8) | 25.5 (24.5, 26.6) | 1.6 (1.3, 2.0) | 3.1 (2.6, 3.5) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.3) |
| ≥ 75 000 | 66 400 | 70.8 (69.9, 71.7) | 23.9 (23.1, 24.8) | 1.4 (1.1, 1.6) | 2.8 (2.4, 3.2) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.4) |
| Chronic diseaseb | ||||||
| Yes | 115 688 | 68.1 (67.4, 68.9) | 24.7 (24.0, 25.4) | 1.7 (1.4, 1.9) | 3.9 (3.5, 4.3) | 1.6 (1.3, 1.8) |
| No | 127 374 | 66.7 (66.1, 67.3) | 26.5 (25.9, 27.1) | 1.8 (1.6, 2.1) | 3.6 (3.3, 3.9) | 1.4 (1.2, 1.6) |
| “People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness” | ||||||
| Overall | 242 922 | 22.7 (22.2, 23.1) | 37.5 (37.0, 38.0) | 2.8 (2.7, 3.0) | 26.0 (25.6, 26.5) | 11.0 (10.7, 11.3) |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 94 248 | 24.5 (23.9, 25.2) | 40.3 (39.5, 41.1) | 3.0 (2.7, 3.2) | 23.1 (22.5, 23.8) | 9.1 (8.6, 9.5) |
| Female | 148 674 | 20.9 (20.3, 21.4) | 34.7 (34.2, 35.3) | 2.7 (2.5, 2.9) | 28.9 (28.4, 29.4) | 12.8 (12.4, 13.2) |
| Age group, y | ||||||
| 18–24 | 7 419 | 18.8 (17.1, 20.6) | 44.2 (41.9, 46.5) | 1.9 (1.4, 2.4) | 27.0 (24.9, 29.1) | 8.1 (7.0, 9.2) |
| 25–34 | 25 447 | 19.4 (18.4, 20.4) | 37.5 (36.3, 38.7) | 2.7 (2.3, 3.1) | 29.1 (28.0, 30.2) | 11.4 (10.5, 12.2) |
| 35–54 | 93 378 | 21.6 (21.0, 22.2) | 36.9 (36.2, 37.6) | 2.9 (2.6, 3.1) | 26.6 (26.0, 27.2) | 12.0 (11.6, 12.5) |
| ≥ 55 | 116 678 | 27.8 (27.1, 28.4) | 35.9 (35.1, 36.6) | 3.2 (3.0, 3.5) | 23.0 (22.4, 23.5) | 10.2 (9.8, 10.7) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 194 436 | 20.2 (19.7, 20.6) | 38.2 (37.7, 28.7) | 2.8 (2.6, 3.0) | 27.7 (27.3, 28.2) | 11.1 (10.8, 11.5) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 19 646 | 26.6 (25.2, 28.1) | 33.3 (31.6, 34.9) | 2.6 (2.1, 3.2) | 22.7 (21.4, 24.1) | 14.7 (13.6, 15.9) |
| Hispanic | 15 860 | 26.9 (25.3, 28.4) | 38.3 (36.5, 40.1) | 3.5 (2.9, 4.1) | 22.8 (21.2, 24.4) | 8.5 (7.5, 9.5) |
| Other non-Hispanic | 12 980 | 33.9 (31.6, 36.2) | 35.2 (32.9, 37.6) | 2.5 (1.8, 3.2) | 18.3 (16.7, 20.0) | 10.1 (8.8, 11.3) |
| Educational level | ||||||
| < high school | 19 834 | 33.0 (31.2, 34.8) | 37.2 (35.2, 39.2) | 2.3 (1.8, 2.9) | 18.1 (16.6, 19.6) | 9.3 (8.2, 10.4) |
| High school graduate or GED | 68 863 | 27.5 (26.6, 28.4) | 36.8 (35.9, 37.8) | 2.7 (2.4, 3.0) | 22.7 (21.9, 23.5) | 10.3 (9.7, 10.8) |
| Some college | 66 579 | 20.8 (20.1, 21.6) | 37.3 (36.4, 38.2) | 3.1 (2.8, 3.4) | 26.8 (26.0, 27.6) | 12.0 (11.4, 12.5) |
| College graduate | 87 646 | 16.9 (16.3, 17.6) | 38.7 (37.9, 39.5) | 3.0 (2.7, 3.2) | 30.0 (29.2, 30.8) | 11.4 (10.9, 11.9) |
| Annual household income, $ | ||||||
| < 20 000 | 43 325 | 25.3 (24.1, 26.4) | 34.1 (32.7, 35.5) | 3.5 (3.0, 4.0) | 24.2 (22.9, 25.4) | 13.0 (12.1, 13.8) |
| 20 000–34 999 | 51 966 | 24.3 (23.4, 25.3) | 35.0 (33.9, 36.0) | 3.1 (2.7, 3.5) | 25.7 (24.8, 26.7) | 11.8 (11.2, 12.5) |
| 35 000–49 999 | 39 216 | 23.5 (22.5, 24.6) | 36.9 (35.7, 38.1) | 2.6 (2.3, 2.9) | 26.1 (25.1, 27.1) | 10.9 (10.2, 11.5) |
| 50 000–74 999 | 42 112 | 21.1 (20.2, 22.1) | 38.6 (37.6, 39.7) | 2.6 (2.3, 3.0) | 27.2 (26.3, 28.1) | 10.4 (9.8, 11.1) |
| ≥ 75 000 | 66 303 | 20.1 (19.3, 20.9) | 40.7 (39.7, 41.6) | 2.6 (2.3, 2.9) | 26.5 (25.8, 27.3) | 10.1 (9.6, 10.6) |
| Chronic diseaseb | ||||||
| Yes | 115 497 | 21.4 (20.8, 22.0) | 35.1 (34.3, 35.9) | 2.7 (2.4, 2.9) | 27.7 (27.0, 28.4) | 13.2 (12.7, 13.7) |
| No | 127 425 | 23.5 (22.9, 24.1) | 38.8 (38.2, 39.5) | 2.9 (2.7, 3.2) | 25.1 (24.6, 25.6) | 9.6 (9.2, 10.0) |
Note. CI = confidence interval; GED = general equivalency diploma.
a
Percentages were adjusted for the following variables: gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, and annual household income.
b
Chronic disease status includes respondents who self-reported any one of the following doctor-diagnosed conditions: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (heart attack or myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary heart disease), asthma, or arthritis.