Mentally Healthy 2024 Survey launches: A deep dive into mental health in industry workplaces

The fourth Mentally Healthy survey launches today, aiming to understand the mental health state of people working across the media, marketing and creative sectors in 2024.

Organisers Never Not Creative and The Mentally Healthy Change Group want this year’s survey to be the biggest version of the biennial project yet, aiming for more than 2,000 respondents from Australia, while rolling the survey out across the US, New Zealand and the UK.

The 2024 survey, which should take 20-25 minutes to complete, will continue to track many of the mental health trends observed in earlier editions to provide a useful snapshot of how we are tracking as an industry.

There will also be a new focus on how our workplace expectation, roles and working models (hybrid, remote etc) are impacting the industry’s mental health. This includes questions around the awareness and implementation of psychosocial hazard legislation and guidance which came into effect in Australia in 2023 and applies to all businesses.

Andy Wright, co-chair of The Mentally Healthy Change Group and founder of Never Not Creative, emphasises the importance of this year’s survey: “As AI becomes ever more prevalent across business, and cost / budget scrutiny continue to increase, our industry’s one true differentiator is going to be the skills of its people. But are we doing enough to ensure we’re doing what we can to enable them to really shine?

“The Mentally Healthy Survey has become a real benchmark for our performance as an industry in how we are treating people and has helped to spark big conversations and some tangible changes. But the job is by no means done, so it is important we keep the spotlight shining brightly here. The more responses we get, the better our understanding will be of where the opportunities and barriers to improvement are.”

Says Kate Holland, co-chair of The Mentally Healthy Change Group: “The post-Covid workplace is still in a state of flux, and we’re really still just starting to see the long-term impact of practices like remote and hybrid working on people. No one professes to have the perfect answer, so it’s important we examine how and who these different models are working for.

“Only with a big and robust data set with a wide group of respondents can we truly understand these areas, so I urge everyone to take 20 minutes out of their day to do this survey and share it with colleagues and your professional networks. It is one easy way you can make a real difference and also a good opportunity to take a few moments to check-in with yourself.”

The findings from this research will be shared widely with the industry in June, and are poised to inform ongoing and new initiatives by Never Not Creative and The Mentally Healthy Change Group, aimed at promoting mental health within the workplace. Previous surveys have highlighted the necessity for such research, revealing significant gaps in mental well-being between different agency types and generational attitudes towards mental health.

The survey is available here and will remain open until midnight, May 3. Participation is anonymous, and respondents have the option to leave their organisation’s name in the final question, though this is not mandatory. For any businesses having more than 70 participants, Never Not Creative and The Mentally Healthy Group are prepared to offer a tailored presentation for its leaders and staff on their specific results.

If you or someone you care about needs support, please contact:

Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78
beyondblue: 1300 22 4636