Three in Four Voters Favor Funding for Mental Health Professionals – Not Police – to Respond to Mental Health-related 911 Calls
A mental health support team van in Santa Rosa, CA, during a Sonoma County Pride event. Credit: Chris Allan / Shutterstock
According to a new survey by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC), a large bipartisan majority of three-in-four voters favors the federal government funding local programs that give 911 operators the ability to first send mental health professionals and social workers to a mental health-related incident, rather than police officers. Support is robust across party affiliation (Republicans 59%, Democrats 92%, independents 75%) and congressional districts (very red districts 71%, very blue districts 81%).
In a public consultation survey of 2,607 registered voters conducted by the PPC at the School of Public Policy, respondents went through an online "policymaking simulation" designed to put citizens in the shoes of policymakers. Voters were given a briefing on the proposal, asked to evaluate pro and con arguments, and then asked to make their final recommendation. The content was reviewed in advance by experts from different sides of the issue for accuracy and balance.
"The polarization seen in Congress and in much of the public discourse is not as prevalent among the public, where bipartisan majorities agree on a wide array of issues," said PPC director Steven Kull in a press release. "These findings show that most Democrats and Republicans are unified in their belief that mental health professionals should be the first to respond to mental health-related 911 calls."
The survey questionnaire can be viewed here. Among Democrats, the pro arguments for mental health diversion were found convincing by over nine in 10, and the con arguments by less than half. Among Republicans, roughly equal-sized majorities found each of the arguments convincing, but in the end, a solid majority came out in favor of the diversion proposal.
The survey was conducted online from June 13-29, 2022, with a national probability-based sample and a margin of error of +/- 1.9%. The sample was provided by Nielsen Scarborough from its larger sample of respondents, who were recruited by mail and telephone using a random sample of households.
A bill in Congress called the Mental Health Justice and Parity Act of 2022, sponsored by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), would provide funds to cities to:
Hire mental health professionals
Train 911 operators to recognize when a call involves a mental health issue
Give operators the ability to send such professionals to the scene first to try to get the person back home or in a hospital, and in treatment if they are not already