2 Years In, Plenty of People Don't Know About 988

Still, 10M calls, texts, and chats to the crisis hotline have been answered
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 17, 2024 11:16 AM CDT
Updated Jul 20, 2024 3:30 PM CDT
2 Years In, Here's How the 988 Hotline Is Doing
   (Getty Images / Tippapatt)

On July 16, 2022, 988 became the new suicide prevention hotline number in the US, and more than 10 million calls, texts, and chat messages have been answered since, according to stats released Tuesday. The New York Times calls it "a rare instance of bipartisanship in federal health policy": President Trump signed the law that instituted the new number, and it was implemented under President Biden, who grew the number of call centers supporting the line. More:

  • Knowledge gap: An Ipsos poll released this week found only 23% of Americans are somewhat or very familiar with the 988 line. That's up six percentage points from June 2023 (17%). And 51% said they don't know when a situation is serious enough to call 988.
  • More workers needed: The Times reports mental health experts warn more help is needed at call centers, where burnout can be a problem. In May, 12% of calls, 17% of chats, and 3% of texts went unanswered. Axios in June shared this map showing an uneven call-answer rate by state.
  • Effectiveness: Of the 3% of Americans who told Ipsos they or a loved one had contacted 988, 68% said they got the help they needed.
  • Funding: The Times reports about 10 states have so far established permanent funding for the call centers by adding a small fee to monthly phone bills to support it, as is customary with 911.
(More 988 stories.)

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