Public acceptance of restrictions on mentally ill people

Objective: To assess the influence of demographic, psychological, sociologi cal and cultural variables on the public acceptance of restrictions on ment ally ill people. Method: Multiple logistic regression analysis of the results of an opinion survey conducted on a representative sample in the German, French and Itali an-speaking part of Switzerland. Results: Public acceptance of restrictions depends on age, education and ge nder. The influence of demographic variables is reduced when including rigi dity, anomie, social distance and contact with mentally ill people in the a nalysis. The cultural influence of the language region is significant. All these factors predict acceptance. Stereotypes and emotional reactions have no influence. Conclusion: Attitudes to mentally ill people are shaped on three distinct l evels, the psychological, social and cultural, respectively. Demographic va riables partly play the role of placeholders covering the underlying relati onships.