Addiction Stigma in America: How Public Knowledge Shapes Attitudes Toward Recovery
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The Addiction Policy Forum and Gallup released Addiction Stigma in America: How Public Knowledge Shapes Attitudes Toward Recovery, featuring findings from a nationally representative study examining Americans’ addiction literacy and how it influences stigma, attitudes toward individuals in recovery, and support for public health policies. The report is also available on Gallup's website.
The study included a nationally representative sample of 5,097 U.S. adults surveyed through Gallup’s probability-based panel between May 9 and 15, 2025. The web-based survey measured:
Addiction Knowledge: Beliefs about addiction as a health condition, risk factors, and effective treatment approaches.
Self-Efficacy: Confidence in recognizing signs and symptoms of addiction, helping someone struggling with addiction, and locating accurate information and resources.
Stigma Across Three Domains:
Stereotypes: Inaccurate beliefs about people in recovery.
Prejudice: Negative emotional reactions or attitudes toward people in recovery.
Discrimination Intent: Unfair or unjust treatment toward people in recovery.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that higher addiction knowledge is strongly associated with lower levels of stigma and greater support for evidence-based public health policies. Americans with greater knowledge about addiction were less likely to endorse harmful stereotypes, express fear or discomfort around individuals in recovery, or support discriminatory behaviors. They were also more likely to support policies that expand treatment access and recovery support services.
Key Findings
Knowledge Gaps Persist Despite General Awareness
77% agree that addiction is a health condition.
74% agree that addiction is treatable by healthcare professionals.
73% agree that genetics is a risk factor for addiction.
62% agree that medications are an effective treatment.
82% reject the myth that people should “wait until rock bottom” before seeking treatment.
Self-Efficacy: Confidence and Willingness to Respond
89% would help a close friend or family member who is struggling with addiction, but only 56% would help a neighbor or colleague.
68% say they can recognize signs and symptoms of addiction.
70% know where to find accurate information.
Stigma Toward Individuals in Recovery Remains Prevalent
Stereotypes (inaccurate beliefs): 27% believe people in recovery “do not make good decisions”; 20% believe they “cannot be trusted”; and 13% believe they are dangerous.
Prejudice (negative feelings): 53% report feeling anxious or nervous when interacting with someone in recovery, and 40% report feeling fearful
Discrimination Intent (inclusive intentions): 84% are willing to work with someone in recovery, and 77% are willing to have someone in recovery as a neighbor. However, acceptance declines in more personal contexts: only 35% supported their child marrying someone in recovery, and 23% would trust them as a child caretaker.
Higher Addiction Knowledge is Associated with:
Greater Self-Efficacy and Confidence to Respond: Compared to respondents with low knowledge scores, those with higher scores were more likely to help friends/family (92% vs 84%), help neighbors/colleagues (59% vs 51%), know where to find information (74% vs 59%), and recognize signs and symptoms (70% vs 64%)
Lower Levels of Stigma: Those with higher addiction knowledge were less likely to endorse inaccurate beliefs (stereotypes), negative feelings or discomfort (prejudice), and discriminatory behaviors toward people in recovery.
Stronger Support for Evidence-Based Policies: Higher addiction knowledge scores were associated with greater support for medication accessibility (94% vs. 80%), availability of overdose reversal medications (92% vs. 79%), required insurance coverage for treatment (88% vs. 74%), increased government spending on treatment programs (80% vs. 60%), and treatment centers in their communities (78% vs. 64%).
Addiction literacy refers to having accurate, science-based knowledge about substance use disorders (SUDs) and the ability to apply that understanding in real-life situations. Although reliable, evidence-based information about SUDs exists, misconceptions and stigma toward people in recovery remain common. This stigma can create barriers to treatment and recovery. Research shows that individuals who experience more stigma often have worse health outcomes, greater social isolation, reduced engagement in treatment, and a higher likelihood of returning to substance use.
Selected findings were published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, which focused specifically on participants’ understanding of addiction as a health condition and its relationship to specific survey questions. This report examines the complete survey dataset.