Stress: statistics

Results of our 2018 study

The study was an online poll undertaken by YouGov with a sample size of 4,619 respondents. This is the largest known study of stress levels in the UK. Read more about the study in our report, Stress: Are we coping?

In the past year, 74% of people have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope.

Age differences

  • 30% of older people reported never feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope in the past year, compared to 7% of young adults.

Behavioural effects

  • 46% reported that they ate too much or ate unhealthily due to stress.
  • 29% reported that they started drinking or increased their drinking, and 16% reported that they started smoking or increased their smoking.

Psychological effects

  • 51% of adults who felt stressed reported feeling depressed, and 61% reported feeling anxious.
  • Of the people who said they had felt stress at some point in their lives, 16% had self-harmed, and 32% said they had had suicidal thoughts and feelings.
  • 37% of adults who reported feeling stressed reported feeling lonely as a result.

Causes of stress

  • 36% of all adults who reported stress in the previous year cited either their own or a friend/relative's long-term health condition as a factor. This rose to 44% of adults over 55.
  • Of those who reported feeling stressed in the past year, 22% cited debt as a stressor.
  • Of people who reported high levels of stress, 12% said that feeling like they needed to respond to messages instantly was a stressor.
  • 49% of 18-24-year-olds who have experienced high levels of stress felt that comparing themselves to others was a source of stress, which was higher than in any of the older age groups.
  • 36% of women who felt high levels of stress-related this to their comfort with their appearance and body image, compared to 23% of men.
  • Housing worries are a key source of stress for younger people (32% of 18-24-year-olds cited it as a source of stress in the past year). This is less so for older people (22% for 45-54-year-olds and just 7% for over 55s).
  • Younger people have higher stress related to the pressure to succeed. 60% of 18-24-year-olds and 41% of 25-34-year-olds cited this, compared to 17% of 45-54s and 6% of over 55s).

 

Browse all of the mental health statistics

Our 2016 study 'The Fundamental Facts about Mental Health' follows a comprehensive summary of mental health research, providing a unique handbook of key facts and figures, covering all key areas of mental health.
Find out more

Stress: A-Z Topics

Find out more about stress - the symptoms, causes and getting support.
Find out more
Stress

References

  1. Fineberg, N., Haddad, P., Carpenter, L., Gannon, B., Sharpe, R., Young, A., Joyce, E., Rowe, J., Wellsted, D., Nutt, D. and Sahakian, B. (2013). The size, burden and cost of disorders of the brain in the UK. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 27(9), pp.761-770.
  2. Martin-Merino, E., Ruigomez, A., Wallander, M., Johansson, S. and GarciaRodriguez, L. (2009). Prevalence, incidence, morbidity and treatment patterns in a cohort of patients diagnosed with anxiety in UK primary care. Family Practice, 27(1), pp.9-16.
  3. McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital. Available at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748/apms-2014-full-rpt.pdf [Accessed 5 October 2016]
  4. Mental Health Foundation (n.d). Evidence & Research. Available at http://bemindful.co.uk/evidence-research/ [Accessed August 2015].
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