A Report on the State of Shame

A national survey on what we hide and what we wish to talk about

Our Unnamed Burdens

ZINE commissioned YouGov to survey over a thousand Americans about stigma — how often people hide parts of themselves from others, what they’re most uncomfortable discussing, what they wish society was more open to discussing, and to what extent should organizations be playing a role in helping de-stigmatize taboos?

We examined mental health, finances, sexuality, porn, politics, career setbacks, family conflict, addiction, body image, loneliness, and religion.

Unfortunately, the results don’t reveal a society at ease — I mean, look around... who’d suspect that? Rather, we see a society caught between personal discomfort and the desires for themselves and others to overcome shame.

Let’s start with the fact that out of fear of being judged, 83% of Americans concealed some part of themselves from those close to them in the past year. For nearly every taboo measured, Americans report they want more societal openness around it.