Demographic Variations

Employees have different perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward mental health.

Having a better understanding of how perceptions, attitudes and behaviors vary within the workforce may help inform employers’ approach to communicating messages and implementing mental health programs and policies. This survey examined differences across generations, genders, parental guardianship, and supervisory status.

Millennials may be less aware of available resources compared to other generations.

Older Millennials are more likely to turn to a mental health professional than other age groups.

Younger Millennials
(ages 22-28)

Older Millennials
(ages 29-37)

Gen Xers
(ages 38-53)

Boomers
(ages 54-72)

Older Millennials are more likely to turn to a mental health professional than other age groups.

Millennials are also less likely than Gen Xers and Boomers to say their employer offers programs to support mental health.

Employer provides information on rights under FMLA

Employer permits a leave of absence for mental health reasons

Employer provides adequate insurance coverage for mental health services

Based on these findings, employers may want to target more communications toward Younger Millennials (ages 22-28), who may be in most need and open to support, but less aware than other generations of available resources.

Women may be advocates for health promotion and prevention programs.

Knows About Programs

Female employees are more likely than male employees to say their employer offers health promotion and prevention programs to support mental health.

Base: All qualified respondents (n=1,041)
Q820 Which of the following, if any, does your employer offer employees to support their mental health? Please select all that apply.

Likely to Use Programs

Female employees are more likely to use programs when offered.

Base: All qualified respondents (n=1,041) % shown includes respondents selecting very likely or somewhat likely Q825 Have you used or taken advantage of the following? Please select all that apply.

Anticipate Future Usage

If an issue emerges in the future that negatively affects their mental health, female employees more often anticipate they will use these health promotion and prevention programs if offered.

Base: all qualified respondents, (n=1,041)
Q835: If an issue emerged in the future that negatively affected your mental health, how likely would you be to use each of the following if offered by your employer? Very likely, Somewhat likely, Not very likely, Not at all likely

Women are more likely to want their employer to support employee mental health by offering health promotion and prevention programs than men, especially those without children (40 percent vs. 28 percent of men without children). Women without children are also more likely than men to want their senior leaders to talk about emotional well-being in organizational communications (35 percent vs. 24 percent men with children, 24 percent men without children).

Base: All qualified respondents (n=1,041)
Q840 What actions, if any, would you like to see your employer take to support the mental health of employees? Please select all that apply.