Who Is Speaking in Bell Let’s Talk? Examining Ethno-Racial Representation and Culture in a Canadian Anti-Stigma Campaign

Culture profoundly shapes definitions of mental health, mental illness, and stigma. To what extent do anti-stigma campaigns address such factors? We conducted two qualitative studies using concept coding and thematic analysis to examine the degree of cultural content and representation in the Bell Let’s Talk anti-stigma campaign, analyzing 56 official videos, 1917 official tweets, and 2933 tweets from the public. Our findings revealed moderate ethno-racial diversity and limited to non-existent cultural content in campaign videos and tweets, alongside nuanced discussion of cultural themes in concurrent public Twitter discourse. Diverse ethno-racial representation and cultural discussions are necessary to provide a nuanced approach to mental health stigma, especially within a multicultural society such as Canada.