Nearly three-quarters of Gen Z report that pandemic-era changes increased their anxiety. At the same time, over half of those seeking help encounter long wait times for a therapist, highlighting a critical gap between need and available care.
Key Takeaways
- 55.5% of U.S. adults with a mental health condition reported anxiety or panic in the past 12 months (2019 survey)
- 4 in 10 U.S. adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during July 2020–April 2021 (CDC Household Pulse Survey trend)
- 26.4% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported serious mental illness in the past year (NIMH estimates based on NSDUH)
- 72% of Gen Z reported pandemic-era changes affected their anxiety levels (APA 2022 stress survey)
- 18 minutes median time to first response in crisis chat services in a 2022 analysis (Aging/Chat study)
- 41% of Gen Z reported anxiety related to uncertainty about the future (American Psychological Association, 2023)
- 41% of U.S. adults said they would be more likely to get mental health treatment if it were available by phone or video (NAMI, 2021)
- 56% of respondents reported that finding a therapist was difficult due to wait times (Headway, 2022 therapist scheduling analysis)
- 27% of U.S. adults reported that stigma prevented them from seeking mental health care (NAMI, 2021)
- 55% of employers offered mental health benefits in 2021 (Aon, 2021 benefits survey)
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults reported using a digital mental health tool (2021 survey)
- 30% of college students reported using meditation apps (American Psychiatric Association, 2021)
- $1.0B+ U.S. mental health app market revenue forecast for 2023 (Grand View Research report, 2022)
- $2.5B global digital therapeutics market for mental health forecast by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights, 2022)
- $2.0B global mental health apps market size in 2022 (IMARC Group, 2023)
Gen Z is anxious more than ever, turning to apps and teletherapy as stigma and access barriers persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates5 stats
01
55.5% of U.S. adults with a mental health condition reported anxiety or panic in the past 12 months (2019 survey)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/behavioral-health-2019
02
4 in 10 U.S. adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during July 2020–April 2021 (CDC Household Pulse Survey trend)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr083.pdf
03
26.4% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported serious mental illness in the past year (NIMH estimates based on NSDUH)https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
04
13.6% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported suicidal thoughts in the past year (NIMH estimates based on NSDUH)https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide
05
17% of U.S. children aged 3–17 had an anxiety disorder (2016–2019 NSCH)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db427.htm
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Across prevalence rates, anxiety is widespread among young people and the broader population, with 26.4% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reporting serious mental illness in the past year and 13.6% reporting suicidal thoughts, showing that anxiety-related concerns are not only common but tightly linked to severe mental health outcomes.
02 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
72% of Gen Z reported pandemic-era changes affected their anxiety levels (APA 2022 stress survey)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress-mental-health
02
18 minutes median time to first response in crisis chat services in a 2022 analysis (Aging/Chat study)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2783076
03
41% of Gen Z reported anxiety related to uncertainty about the future (American Psychological Association, 2023)https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/05/stress
04
27% of U.S. adults reported pandemic-related job insecurity increased their stress/anxiety (APA, 2021)https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/01/cover-pandemic-stress
05
3.2x increase in teletherapy utilization compared with pre-pandemic baseline in a large U.S. health system (JAMA Network Open, 2021)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2777140
06
1.5x increase in mental health-related emergency department visits for anxiety/panic vs baseline in 2020 (CDC report)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7101a1.htm
07
56% of users reported using mental health apps for anxiety/stress in 2022 (data.ai, report)https://www.data.ai/en/insights/market-data/mental-health-apps-report-2022/
08
28% of Gen Z said they used workplace wellbeing programs to manage anxiety (Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2022)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show that Gen Z anxiety is being shaped by pandemic and uncertainty pressures, with 72% reporting pandemic-era changes affected their anxiety levels and 41% pointing to uncertainty about the future.
03 · Category
Barriers And Access5 stats
01
41% of U.S. adults said they would be more likely to get mental health treatment if it were available by phone or video (NAMI, 2021)https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Press-Releases/NAMI-Reports-Findings-on-the-State-of-Mental-Health
02
56% of respondents reported that finding a therapist was difficult due to wait times (Headway, 2022 therapist scheduling analysis)https://www.headway.co/blog/how-long-do-therapists-wait
03
27% of U.S. adults reported that stigma prevented them from seeking mental health care (NAMI, 2021)https://www.nami.org/advocacy/mental-health-conditions/mental-health-stigma
04
22% of U.S. adults reported they did not seek care because they were worried about how it would affect their job/school (NAMI, 2020)https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Press-Releases/Report-Stigma-Prevents-Many-From-Seeking-Mental-Health-Care
05
34% of respondents in a 2023 poll said they avoided therapy because of concerns about privacy (APA, 2023)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/02/mental-health-privacy
Interpretation
Barriers And Access Interpretation
With 56% of respondents citing therapist wait times as a problem and 41% of U.S. adults saying they would be more likely to seek care by phone or video, Gen Z and the broader population face major barriers and access gaps that keep mental health treatment out of reach.
More related reading
04 · Category
Solutions Usage6 stats
01
55% of employers offered mental health benefits in 2021 (Aon, 2021 benefits survey)https://www.aon.com/en/insights/impact-of-emerging-benefits/mental-health-benefits
02
1 in 5 U.S. adults reported using a digital mental health tool (2021 survey)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2734238
03
30% of college students reported using meditation apps (American Psychiatric Association, 2021)https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/meditation-apps-use-among-students
04
70% of Mind Apps users reported improvement in anxiety symptoms over 8 weeks (peer-reviewed pilot study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8008991/
05
38% of Gen Z said they would rather use a self-guided mental health app than talk to a therapist (McKinsey consumer survey, 2021)https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/the-potential-of-digital-mental-health
06
25% of U.S. adults used text-based support for mental health during 2020–2022 (National survey, 2022)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9159344/
Interpretation
Solutions Usage Interpretation
The Solutions Usage data shows that Gen Z is actively choosing digital and self-guided supports, with 38% saying they would rather use a self-guided mental health app than talk to a therapist and 1 in 5 U.S. adults already using digital mental health tools, reinforcing that anxiety help is increasingly being accessed through apps and text-based options rather than traditional care.
05 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
$1.0B+ U.S. mental health app market revenue forecast for 2023 (Grand View Research report, 2022)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mental-health-app-market
02
$2.5B global digital therapeutics market for mental health forecast by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights, 2022)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/digital-therapeutics-market-102232
03
$2.0B global mental health apps market size in 2022 (IMARC Group, 2023)https://www.imarcgroup.com/mental-health-app-market
04
$1.4B U.S. teletherapy/mental health telehealth market revenue in 2022 (MarketsandMarkets, 2022)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/tele-mental-health-market-112671641.html
05
$6.6B global mental health services market size in 2023 (Allied Market Research, 2023)https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/mental-health-services-market
06
$8.0B global mental health software market projected by 2032 (Fortune Business Insights, 2024)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/mental-health-software-market-105303
07
$12.0B global EAP market projected by 2032 (IMARC, 2023)https://www.imarcgroup.com/employee-assistance-program-eap-market
08
$1.8B U.S. online therapy market in 2023 (ReportLinker/CREDENCE, 2023)https://www.reportlinker.com/p06472893/Online-Therapy-Market.html
09
$3.7B global mental health chatbot market size in 2022 (Precedence Research, 2022)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/mental-health-chatbot-market
10
$2.6B global digital mental health market in 2022 (Grand View Research, 2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-mental-health-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Market Size picture for Gen Z anxiety is expanding quickly, with the U.S. mental health app market forecast topping $1.0B in 2023 and the global mental health software market projected to reach $8.0B by 2032.
06 · Category
Policy And Funding7 stats
01
$1.6B in 988 implementation grants (FY2023 allocation totals)https://www.samhsa.gov/section-223/resource/988-grants
02
$432M for 988 crisis call center and workforce support grants in FY2024 (SAMHSA notice)https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/notice-funding-opportunity-988-crisis-lifeline
03
$15B U.S. over 5 years for mental health services in NHS England’s Long Term Plan (policy value, 2019—still in effect planning)https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/
04
$200M in Canada funding for youth mental health over 2021–2022 (Government of Canada budget)https://www.budget.canada.ca/2021/home-accueil-en.html
05
$340M in U.S. SAMHSA grant awards for mental health block grants/competitions in FY2022 (SAMHSA budget)https://www.samhsa.gov/about/budget
06
$25M awarded to university mental health training programs under SAMHSA in 2022 (SAMHSA grant awards database)https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/awards
07
$70B global anxiety disorder economic burden forecast by 2030 (OECD-style global estimates)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders
Interpretation
Policy And Funding Interpretation
Across the policy and funding landscape, recent investments are scaling up quickly, with the US alone putting $1.6B into 988 implementation grants in FY2023 and adding $432M for 988 crisis call center and workforce support in FY2024, while other governments like Canada and the UK also sustained sizable multi year youth mental health funding.
report visual · Projection
Gen Z Anxiety: Pandemic shifts and uncertainty
Most Gen Z say pandemic-era changes and uncertainty about the future affect their anxiety levels.
27 Share reporting increased anxiety
Start
+23.23%
CAGR · 2y
41 Share reporting increased anxiety
Projected
20222024
source-verifiedapa.org2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Gen Z Anxiety Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gen-z-anxiety-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Gen Z Anxiety Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gen-z-anxiety-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Gen Z Anxiety Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gen-z-anxiety-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)