Next in Mind: Strengthening Youth Mental Health Across the Nordics
28/10/2025
Reach for Change, The Inner Foundation, and the Tim Bergling Foundation joined forces to shine a light on youth mental health in the Nordics. Their goal: to create real, lasting change through the initiative Next in Mind. To build meaningful solutions, they needed a deep, evidence-based understanding of young people’s lived experiences, needs, and barriers to seeking help. That’s where Perspetivo came in.
Perspetivo conducted the first large-scale, quantitative and representative study among young adults aged 18–29 in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
The research explored the current state of mental health, access to support, and perceptions of stigma and quality of care. Each country sample was designed to be nationally representative, achieving a 95% confidence level with a 4% margin of error.
Key Insights
70% of young adults have experienced mental health issues.
1 in 2 avoid seeking help, often due to stigma.
Among those who do reach out, 65% feel the support they receive is inadequate or that they are not taken seriously.
These findings gave Reach for Change and their partners a unique, data-driven understanding of young people’s realities. With this knowledge, they could identify the most significant barriers to mental well-being and develop targeted, effective interventions.
Impact
The Next in Mind initiative is now built on the voices of young people themselves, not assumptions. With Perspetivo’s data as a foundation, the partners are creating solutions that meet real needs and drive measurable impact.
Together, we’re helping build a more sustainable and mentally healthy future for young people across the Nordics.
