Heading for Hope? Public opinion on mental health and new interventions
This report explores public opinions on mental health and new interventions, using More In Common’s seven segments model. It covers how mental health matters to people across Britain, support for earlier help and more government action, and how progress in science is being held back by poor access, overstretched services and low trust in institutions.
Report at a glance
This report has been commissioned by the Wellcome Trust and authored by More In Common.
- Strategic programme:
- What's inside:
- This report explores how people in Britain think and feel about mental health today, how hopeful they are about future support and new interventions and which messages and messengers are most likely to build confidence and public backing.
- Who this is for:
- Mental health communicators, policymakers, cultural organisations and charities.
- Creative commons:
More in Common’s seven segments model
More In Common has used extensive research into Britons’ core beliefs, values and behaviours to develop a unique segmentation of the British public.
- Progressive activists (12 percent of the population)
- Incrementalist left (21 percent of the population)
- Established liberals (nine percent of the population)
- Sceptical scrollers (10 percent of the population)
- Rooted patriots (20 percent of the population)
- Traditional conservatives (eight percent of the population)
- Dissenting disruptors (20 percent of the population)
Summary
There is a strong national consensus that mental health is important. Nearly three-quarters of people say mental health is as important as physical health, most people are comfortable talking about it and support for early intervention is high across all public segments. Three-quarters also say government should do more to improve services.
At the same time, public concern has not translated into strong political salience.
Only 9% of Britons name mental health as one of the top three issues facing the country, and many people feel that while awareness has improved, policy and service delivery have not kept pace. Public confidence in future progress is weakened by long waits, poor access and doubts that new approaches will reach the people who need them.
However, while the public is not polarised on mental health, it is not uniform either.
Different groups vary in how urgent the issue feels, how much they trust institutions and how hopeful they are about new treatments and technologies. This matters for policy and engagement: messages that work for one audience may not work for another.
Key findings
1) Mental health is a shared concern, not a culture-war issue
73% of Britons say mental health is as important as physical health, and 77% say they would feel comfortable if a friend opened up to them. People are nearly three times more likely to see mental health conversations as a sign of genuine concern than an excuse.
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Conclusions
The report shows that Britain has a strong foundation for progress on mental health: people care, they support early help and they want action. But awareness alone is no longer enough. To build public confidence and stronger policy support, future work needs to connect innovation with access, show how support will reach people in practice and communicate through trusted voices in ways that feel credible and relevant to different audiences.
Recommendations
For communicators
- Lead with early intervention as the strongest point of public consensus.
- Focus on practical outcomes: shorter waits, easier access and less pressure on services.
- Use trusted messengers — especially frontline staff in the NHS and people with lived experience.
- Build hope through honest, non-linear recovery stories, not “miracle cure” narratives.
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