Latest Pulse Survey on Anxiety and Depression during Pandemic

The latest Household Pulse Survey shows 1 out of 3 U.S. adults (32.1%) had symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder in the past week.  This is the lowest percentage since the start of the survey a year ago.  Also, more than half of 18-29 year olds experienced the same symptoms.

More Findings:

• Almost 10% of U.S. adults say they needed counseling or therapy, but did not get it the past month.  This is a 1.2 percentage decrease from more than a year ago.
• Almost 1 out of 4 U.S. adults (24%)  delayed or did not get needed medical care in the past month due to the pandemic. This estimate is almost 5 percentage points lower than the estimate from March 17-29, 2021.
• 25% of U.S. adults had an appointment with a health professional over video or phone in the past month.  
• 2 out of 5 U.S. adults with a disability (40.5%) had an appointment with a health professional over video or phone in the past month.

To rapidly monitor recent changes in mental health, NCHS partnered with the Census Bureau on an experimental data system called the Household Pulse Survey. This 20-minute online survey was designed to complement the ability of the federal statistical system to rapidly respond and provide relevant information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. The data collection period for Phase 1 of the Household Pulse Survey occurred between April 23, 2020 and July 21, 2020. Phase 2 data collection occurred between August 19, 2020 and October 26, 2020. Phase 3 data collection occurred between October 28, 2020 and March 29, 2021. Data collection for Phase 3.1 of the survey began on April 14, 2021 and will continue through July 5, 2021.