Previous studies suggested that socio-demographic characteristics could affect public attitudes. Lauber et al.  found that demographic factors such as age, gender and the cultural background contributed to social distances, with the explained variance as 44.8%. Another study among Mexican Americans found that demographics such as age, gender and education were the primary variables associated with attitudes towards mental illness . Moreover, the direction of such relationships may vary across different cultures—a Swiss sample suggested that women tended to have more negative attitudes towards people who are mentally ill . While it was reversed among a sample from Germany, where female respondents were more accepting of people with mental illness . Locally, a study on general attitudes to mental illness  found various socio-demographic correlates relating to attitudes including age and education; however, given this study was conducted over 10 year ago, there is a need for more up-to-date evidence. A more recent national study was conducted, which explored stigma (personal stigma and social distancing) and its correlates among the Singapore general population, specifically in relation to five mental disorders . This study also found that age, gender, ethnicity, education and income level were correlated with personal stigma towards people with mental illness.