Survey of Suicide Prevention & Awareness in Rural Communities
A study of how people across rural America think about mental health and suicide prevention.
The Survey of Suicide Prevention and Awareness in Rural Communities is part of a research study designed to learn more about how community members in rural areas think about mental health and suicide, and to increase understanding about mental health promotion and suicide prevention in your community. This survey will be conducted in early 2026. Findings from this study will help us understand mental health resources and suicide prevention programs in rural communities.
NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this survey in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health, the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC).
NORC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic and policy decisions. NORC has over 80 years of experience conducting social science research and is a leader in survey research in particular. This survey is led by Heidi Whitmore, a principal research scientist in the Health Care Evaluation department at NORC.
We want to hear from you. If you have already received an invitation and PIN to participate, please take the survey.
Have a PIN? Start the Survey
You will need the PIN you received in your invitation letter to start the survey. Participation in this survey is by invitation only.
Contact Us
If you still have questions after reading the FAQ below, or are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact us:
FAQ
This study is focused on learning more about how to support rural communities in addressing mental health needs. Rural communities are particularly affected by suicide, so it is important we hear from residents of rural areas to help us understand how best to provide mental health support to reduce suicide deaths. We designed the Survey of Suicide Prevention and Awareness in Rural Communities to understand the experiences and perspectives of people from ALL backgrounds. We want to hear from people living in rural communities, including people who are Veterans, have loved ones who are Veterans, or live in communities with Veterans.
- If there are no Veterans in your household, please have the adult, age 18 years or older, who had the MOST RECENT birthday, complete this survey.
- If a Veteran lives in your household, please have the Veteran complete this survey.
- If there is more than one Veteran in your household, please have the Veteran who had the MOST RECENT birthday complete this survey.
We have selected a representative group of community members that reflects the diversity in your community, and therefore cannot substitute one invited household for another.
You can access the Survey of Suicide Prevention and Awareness in Rural Communities by visiting the survey website. To enter the survey, you will need your PIN, which was included in your mailed invitation letter. If you have lost your PIN or would prefer to complete the survey over the telephone, please call 877-776-6664.
All information obtained from the Survey of Suicide Prevention and Awareness in Rural Communities will be protected and kept confidential. Information will be summarized across all participants and will not be used to identify any specific individuals. Survey responses will be used for research purposes only and will not impact your health care benefits or eligibility for any community or VA services.
By completing this survey, you will help us understand more about your community, where people go for mental health support. This information will be used to improve services aiming to reduce suicide and improve mental health.
On average, the survey will take 20 minutes to complete, and you will receive $25 as a token of appreciation for your participation.
Please call 877-776-6664 or email RuralSPASurvey@norc.org if you have any questions.
