Two in Ten (16%) Working Canadians Say Their Place of Work is Frequently the Source of Feelings of Depression, Anxiety or Other Mental Illness

Toronto, ON - For two in ten (16%) working Canadians (excluding self-employed workers), their place of work is a `frequent' (11%) or an `ongoing' (5%) source of feelings of depression, anxiety or other mental illness, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Partners for Mental Health. Further, 14% say their work or place of work causes these feelings `several times a year', while another 33% experience them, albeit `infrequently'. Just four in ten (37%) working Canadians say that their work or place of work has `never been the source of feelings of depression, anxiety or other mental illness'.

Interestingly, while Canadians of all ages and both genders are equally as likely to say that their work impacts them in this way at least frequently, men (42%) are more likely than women (33%) to say their work never impacts them in this way, as are working Canadians aged 55+ (44%) compared to those aged 35 to 54 (38%) or younger workers (29%).

Nearly half (47%) of working Canadians `agree' (15% strongly/32% somewhat) that their `work and place of work is the most stressful part of their day and life', while the other half (53%) `disagrees' (25% strongly/29% somewhat) that it is. As one's income increases, so too does one's propensity to agree that work is the most stressful part of their day. Workers in British Columbia (50%) are most likely to say that work is the most stressful part of their day, followed by those living in Ontario (48%), Alberta (47%), Quebec (45%), Atlantic Canada (43%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%).

The data also reveal that there still appears to be a lingering stigma against mental illness in the workplace. In fact, just one in three (35%) would be `likely' (9% very/26% somewhat) to have an open discussion with their boss about their mental health or illness. Two in three (65%) would not be likely (33% not at all/32% not very) to have an open discussion with their boss about their mental illness. Residents of Ontario (71%) are most inclined to say they wouldn't be likely to discuss an issue like this with their employer, followed by those working in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (68%), Alberta (67%), British Columbia (66%), Quebec (58%) and Atlantic Canada (55%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between April 18th and 24th, 2013 on behalf of Partners for Mental Health. For this survey, a sample of 1,058 working Canadians (not self-employed) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points had all working adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
Ipsos Reid
416.572.4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.