Annenberg Public Policy Center survey data shows that public recall of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number has grown slowly since the three-digit phone number was introduced in July 2022. Just 15% of U.S.
adults are familiar with it, as of September 2024. Survey respondents who accurately report awareness of the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number increased significantly from August 2023 (11%) to September 2024 (15%). Those 15% of respondents reported both that they knew the number, and when asked in an open-ended format, said the number was 988.
The number who inaccurately reported that the number was 911 (the nationwide emergency phone number) decreased to 1% in September 2024 from 4% in August 2023. "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," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. "When 988 is as readily recalled as 911, the nation will have cause to celebrate.
" Although the survey found a year-over-year increase, it did not detect an increase in accurate responses between October 2023 and September 2024, a period that included the launch of an eight-month 988 awareness ad campaign by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in June 2024. The SAMHSA media campaign targets especially vulnerable subsets of the population, which may be too small to impact the overall awareness estima.
