With psychedelic mental health therapies on the horizon, Americans are open to learning more

Psychedelic mental health research is accelerating, but an Ipsos/Psychedelic Alpha poll finds Americans’ awareness and trust remain uneven across demographic groups. The survey reports that most Americans have limited recent exposure to psychedelics in the media, with a majority not encountering coverage in the past 90 days. People who do encounter information tend to access it through different channels by age, with younger adults more likely to encounter it via social media or conversations and more likely to report exposure to negative content. When asked about concerns, many Americans fear negative psychological experiences more than physical harms, reflecting ongoing influence from “bad trip” narratives. Comfort with taking psychedelics is low in nearly all listed settings, while attitudes overall are divided, with roughly equal shares positive and negative and a substantial portion neutral or mixed. The poll was conducted Nov 21 to Nov 23, 2025, among 1,022 US adults using Ipsos KnowledgePanel.