Washington, DC, March 17, 2026 – Three in four full-time employees say it’s okay to discuss mental health at work, but nearly half worry they’ll be judged for doing so, according to the latest NAMI/Ipsos Workplace Mental Health Poll. This concern continues as the reported pressure on the global situation continues to increase. The share of employees who feel “too stressed” has nearly doubled since 2024, and more than half report feeling burned out on the job. Workplace mental health training may help; Employees of companies that offer this type of training are more likely to feel supported and less concerned about stigma, but only one in three have received it.
*Note: This study includes a nationally representative sample of 2,153 adults who are employed full-time and work in a business or company with at least 100 employees. References to “employees” throughout this study refer to those who meet these criteria.
Detailed findings:
1. Employers consistently say it’s okay to discuss mental health at work, but stigma and fear prevent them from actually doing so.
- Three in four workers (74%) say it’s okay to talk about mental health at work, and the same proportion (77%) say they would feel comfortable if a colleague talked to them about mental health. However, only 61% feel comfortable sharing about their mental health at work. Comfort decreases When talking specifically with HR (39%) or senior leadership (30%).
- Almost half (48%) worry that they will be judged for sharing a mental health struggle. Among those uncomfortable sharing at work, the top reasons are stigma (41%), the fact that no one discusses mental health (39%), not wanting to appear weak (33%), and fear of retaliation (23%).
- Employees are more likely to support others than speak up for themselves: 38% have supported a struggling colleague, but only 15% have told their manager that their own mental health is suffering because of work.
2. Stress about the state of the world is increasing, and burnout is rampant, especially among caregivers.
- Seventy percent report feeling stressed about the state of the world. While the overall level of stress has remained stable since 2024, the intensity has increased: the share feeling “too stressed” has increased from 19% in 2024 to 30% in 2026.
- There is also a growing concern about personal mental health. More than four in ten workers (43%) say they are concerned about their mental health, up from 35% in 2024.
- More than half of employees (53%) feel burned out from their jobs in the past year. Additionally, nearly four in ten feel that their mental health is being damaged by the demands of work.
- Caregivers* report higher levels of burnout and stress. 61 percent felt burned out in the past year, compared to 49 percent of noncaregivers. Almost half of carers (48%) say their mental health is affected by the demands of work, compared to 34% of non-carers.
- Sandwich caregivers—those who care for both the baby and the parent—reported the most severe challenges: 52% felt overwhelmed (vs. 38% of non-sandwich caregivers) and 37% felt abandoned (vs. 26% of non-sandwich caregivers).
*Note: Caregivers represent individuals who report that they were an unpaid caregiver for a parent, child, spouse/partner, other relative, or close friend, including helping them take care of themselves, help with personal needs, housework, or manage their finances at any time in the past 12 months.
3. Mental health training is linked to more positive experiences in the workplace, but many employees—and managers—don’t get it.
- Employees at companies that offer mental health training report significantly different experiences than those at companies that do not. For Example:
- 86% feel their manager cares about them (vs. 70% without coaching)
- 69% believe their company prioritizes their mental health (vs. 40% without training)
- 58% feel C-suite leadership cares about them (43% without training)
- 43% worry about being judged for sharing struggles (52% without training)
- However, only one in three employees (32%) reported receiving training from their employer about mental health resources, and only one in four received training about mental health conditions or symptoms.
- Nearly seven in ten managers (69%) say their company provides them with adequate resources to support their team’s mental and emotional health—but those who lack such resources report starkly different results:
- 90% of managers with adequate resources feel prepared to support their team’s mental health (61% excepted)
- 45% of managers who source report feeling burned out (vs. 73%).
- 18% of managers have resources who have considered leaving due to mental health effects (versus 41%).
Learn more in the 2026 NAMI-Ipsos Workplace Mental Health Survey NAMI
About the study
This NAMI/Ipsos poll was conducted from January 27 to February 2, 2026 by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This survey is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 2,153 general population adults, age 18 or older, who are employed full-time and work in a business or enterprise with at least 100 employees.
Data from the entire sample were weighted to adjust for sex by age, race/ethnicity, census tract, education, and household income. Demographic criteria came from the March 2025 supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60+)
- Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+
Race/Non-Hispanic) - Census Region (Northeast, Middle East, South, West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)
- Education (less than high school, high school, some college, bachelor’s or higher)
- Household income (under $25K, $25K-$49,999, $50K-$74,999, $75K-$99,999, $100K-$149,999,
$150K and more)
The sampling error for this study is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The sampling error considering the design effect, which was 1.15. Sampling error is high and results vary based on other subsamples. In reporting our findings, percentage points are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, the percentage in a given table column may be slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that allow multiple responses, the column may be significantly greater than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information about this news, please contact:
Mallory captures
Vice President of the United States
Public affairs
[email protected]
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