2026년 국민 정신건강 지식 및 태도 조사 (2026 National Survey on Mental Health Knowledge and Attitudes)

Key Findings

• — 70.1% of the 5,100 respondents (3,577 people) reported at least one mental-health problem in the past year; 30.4% of them (1,088) sought help by consulting someone, visiting a hospital or using a related service, the highest share since the survey began (the 2026 question added online counselling apps and generative AI, so the report warns against direct comparison with earlier waves)
• — Among the 1,088 who sought help (multiple response), 31.7% sought it from 'generative AI or AI chatbots', a new 2026 item; this was close to friends or neighbours (33.1%) and psychologists or counsellors (31.3%); family and relatives were highest at 42.8%
• — In the major-depression vignette (n=1,700 per vignette, 5-point scale), generative AI or AI chatbots were rated 3.07 for helpfulness, above solving it oneself (2.80); psychiatrists or psychiatric nurses were rated highest at 4.00
• — In the suicidal-ideation vignette, generative AI or AI chatbots were rated 2.98 for helpfulness (above traditional Korean medicine doctors at 2.77; psychiatrists or nurses highest at 4.05), and 'using generative AI or AI chatbots' was rated the least helpful of the listed actions at 3.09
• — Generative AI or AI chatbots had the lowest share of respondents saying it influenced their mental-health perceptions (18.9% 'influenced', 12 channels) and the highest share saying it did not (42.1%)

Methodology Notes

Structured online panel survey of the general population aged 15-69, 12-26 June 2026, n=5,100 (stated margin ±1.37 percentage points at 95%), quota sample allocated by square-root proportional allocation across provinces and proportional allocation by sex and age within provinces (small regions boosted to 210), with post-stratification cell weights; the report notes that quota sampling is non-probability, so design-based standard errors are not available. Case-vignette module: three groups of 1,700 (major depressive disorder, suicidal ideation without clear psychiatric symptoms, schizophrenia). AI items are new in 2026: B5-1 help source (multiple response, asked of the 1,088 help-seekers), C3/C4 vignette helpfulness ratings (5-point), A2 influence on perceptions. Self-report; help-seeking figures describe any contact, not intensity or outcomes. 709-page PDF (text plus appendix tables and questionnaire); contract research period 27 April to 26 August 2026. Verification: board post and PDF fetched 2026-11-02; figures re-grepped by script against pdftotext output. The report PDF is served only through a form POST from the board post (doFileDownload.do), so the board post is the primary URL.

Sources