45 Essential Psychology Statistics

Searching for interesting psychology stats? Here are 45 essential psychology statistics, along with information about the field of psychology.

As a field of study, psychology provides us with theories and frameworks to understand why people behave the way they do. The benefits of developing an understanding of psychology are wide-ranging and can have significant impacts on individuals and society as a whole—from stress management to addressing mental health challenges.

Often referred to as “the mathematical backbone of psychology,” psychology statistics provide researchers and practitioners with a foundation of data to support analysis and inference about human behavior. 

Statistics are an important tool for contextualizing and understanding human behavior among representative samples of the population.

In this article, we will break down this complex subject into easily understandable terms and provide a list of 45 important psychology statistics. 

The importance of psychology statistics

Statistics can help us organize, compare, and predict data so that it can be interpreted meaningfully.

Following from this, Psychology statistics allow researchers and psychologists to aggregate large quantities of data on human behavior and health, which allows them to better understand what might cause certain behaviors and, ultimately, how to treat them. 

Additionally, psychology stats can help describe and contextualize data points from a sample set that demographically represents a larger population. 

While large populations can be difficult to study as a whole, studying samples allows researchers to make inferences about the behaviors of the larger population from the data gathered about the representative participants in their study. 

Psychology stats terms

As with any field of study, statistical analysis has its own set of jargon. 

The following are some key psychology statistics terms you may encounter: 

• Population: People the sample intends to represent.
  
• Sample: A carefully chosen subset of a population used as a representative of the whole. It is not always possible or practical to test or analyze an entire population, so a sample is chosen to represent the entire population.
  
• Random sample: A sample selected randomly to ideally represent key factors present in the population. In practice, truly random samples are difficult, if not impossible, to select.
  
• External validity: The extent to which the results of a random sample can be applied beyond the study participants.
  
• Internal validity: The extent to which all aspects of study design and analyses lead to true and unbiased results. For example, the results are the true results of the study and not an error in measurement.
  
• Parameter: A measurement that applies to an entire population.
  
• Statistic: A measurement taken from a sample.
  
• Descriptive statistics: Statistics used to describe a data set or sample.
  
• Inferential statistics: Statistics inferred about a population from statistics describing a sample.
  
• Variable: Something that can take on different properties.
  
• Independent variable: A variable within a study that can be controlled, such as who receives which treatment.
  
• Dependent variable: A variable that changes as the result of an independent variable, such as how someone responds to treatment.
  
• Quantitative data: The result of any sort of measurement, such as someone’s height or weight. A numerically-based assessment of a factor, which can be continuous or categorical.
• Qualitative data: Text, spoken words, experiences, and observations that cannot easily be translated into numerical values.
  
• Categorical data: Data that is used to categorize subjects, such as whether or not a person experiences anxiety. 

45 interesting psychology stats

General mental health statistics

• More than 20% of adults in the United States live with a mental illness.
  
• Roughly 4% of adults in the U.S. live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
• More than 29% of young adults, ages 18 to 29, in the U.S. reported experiencing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in the past year.
  
• More than 22% of young adults, ages 18 to 29, in the U.S. reported experiencing symptoms of depressive disorder in the past year.
  
• Of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, almost 35% reported experiencing symptoms of both anxiety disorder or depressive disorder in the past year.
  
• Only 3% to 5% of all violent acts can be attributed to a serious mental illness.
• Over half of all mental health disorders in the U.S. go untreated annually.
  
• The average age at which a person is diagnosed with bipolar disorder is around 25 years old.
• Approximately 1% of adults in the U.S. are affected by schizophrenia.
  
• Schizophrenia typically appears in men in their late teens or early 20s, and in women in their 20s or 30s.
• Half of all mental health disorders begin to show signs before a person turns 14 years old.
  
• Three-quarters of all mental health disorders show signs before a person turns 24.

Anxiety disorder statistics

Anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and phobias (such as social phobia, agoraphobia, etc.).

• More than 17% of U.S. adults report being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by a doctor.
  
• Almost three-quarters of U.S. adults report feeling anxious at least a few times a year.
  
• More than 14% of U.S. adults report taking prescription medication for anxiety disorder.
• Only around 37% of those with an anxiety disorder receive treatment.

Depressive disorder statistics

Some types of depressive disorders include: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia. 

• More than 18% of U.S. adults report being diagnosed with a type of depression by a doctor.
  
• Almost a third of U.S. adults report feeling depressed at least a few times a year.
  
• 12% of U.S. adults report taking prescription medication for depression.
  
• Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for people aged 15-44.
  
• The U.S. ranks 29th in the world for prevalence of depression disorders.
  
• Women experience depression at almost twice the rate  men do.
  
• The average age of onset for depression symptoms is in a person’s mid-20s, though it can develop at any age.

Age-related statistics

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Census Bureau created the Household Pulse Survey to collect information on depression and anxiety symptoms reported by individuals over a two-week period.

People who reported having some symptoms of anxiety disorder by age range in October 2023 include:

• 18-29 years: 45.3%
• 30-39 years: 36.7%
• 40-49 years: 31.9%
• 50-59 years: 27.7%
• 60-69 years: 20.2%
• 70-79 years: 15.1%
• 80+ years: 15.7%

People who reported having some symptoms of depressive disorder by age range in October 2023 include:

• 18-29 years: 35.3%
• 30-39 years: 27.6%
• 40-49 years: 24.3%
• 50-59 years: 21.1%
• 60-69 years: 16.2%
• 70-79 years: 12.0%
• 80+ years: 11.1%

Clinical psychology statistics

• About 30% of people in the U.S. saw a therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
• In 2021, 47% of U.S. adults with some form of mental illness received treatment.
  
• In 2021, 65% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment.
  
• Women are more likely than men to receive mental health treatment.
  
• In 2021, about 11% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage.
  
• In 2021, 14% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness had no insurance coverage.

Breakdown of U.S. adults who sought any type of mental health treatment by race:

• White: 24%
• Black: 15%
• Hispanic: 13%
• Asian: 8%
  

Telehealth statistics 

• According to APA, telehealth use rose from 33% in 2020 to 50% in 2021.
  
• As of November 2021, 55% of mental healthcare clinicians only practice online.
  
• 43% of U.S. adults used a form of telemedicine in 2022.
  
• 50% of patients with multiple chronic conditions used a form of telemedicine in 2022.
  
• 45% of patients with internet access used a form of telemedicine in 2022.
  
• 21% of U.S. adults have used teletherapy.
  
• 38% of Millennials reported using teletherapy in 2021.
  
• 16% of Generation X reported using teletherapy in 2021.
  
• 10% of Baby Boomers reported using teletherapy in 2021.
  
• 63% of people who used teletherapy found it to be effective.

Couples therapy statistics

• More than a third of all U.S. couples have used couples therapy.
  
• 99% of people currently in couples therapy say it has had a positive impact on their relationship.
  
• 90% of people in couples therapy report that seeing their own therapist has positively impacted their relationship.
  

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