Canadians fear mental illness stigma over poverty

It may be little surprise the pandemic has infected Canadians with more stress over debt, but a new survey offers the eye-openers that people fear the stigma of mental illness more than poverty and business failure. With Mental Illness Awareness Week being marked in Canada next week, almost three quarters of the 1,510 respondents polled in the Angus Reid Forum by insolvency company Bromwich+smith said mental illness carries the heaviest stigma. Poverty followed at 68 per cent, debt or insolvency at 66 per cent, unemployment at 62 per cent, business failure 46 per cent and divorce at 40 per cent. About three-quarters of Canadians aged 18-34, the highest amount of any age category, said they suffer dread on a number of issues, such as fear of the unknown.