Public awareness of 988 national suicide prevention hotline low, but growing: Poll

Awareness of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline is growing since the number was updated, but it is still low, according to a new survey.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center/SSRS poll, released Monday, found that only 15 percent of survey respondents named the correct number for the hotline, officially named the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as of September this year.

That number increased by 4 percent since August 2023, when just 11 percent of surveytakers shared the accurate numbers. In January 2023, just 8 percent knew the correct digits, according to the survey's analysis.

On the other hand, the poll shows that the number of people who said the hotline was 911 — the nationwide emergency line — dropped to 1 percent in September from 4 percent in last year's survey.

“The help that can be found at the 988 helpline can only save lives if those in need and their loved ones and friends know the number,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. “When 988 is as readily recalled as 911, the nation will have cause to celebrate.”

The suicide prevention line was shortened in July 2022 with the goal of it being more accessible. The initial number was 1-800-273-8255.

The hotline was launched nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Vibrant Emotional Health. The line received over 20 million calls from people in need of assistance between 2005 and 2020, according to the website.

The Annenberg/SSRS poll was conducted between Sept. 13-22 and Sept. 26-30 among 1,744 U.S. adults. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.