Representative survey finds Australasians lead the world in meditation use
Australasians have the highest recorded rates of meditation use in the world, our representative survey has just found.
Approximately ⅓ of Australian (6.8M) and ¼ of New Zealand (1.0M) adults have meditated in the past year.
In a new study from the Contemplative Studies Centre published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, over 2,000 Australians and over 500 Kiwi adults were sampled. Amongst other results, meditators were found to be significantly more likely to have had trouble accessing mental healthcare, suggesting that meditation may play a role in helping those in the region manage mental health needs.
Of additional note, meditation was not without downsides, with 21.7% of Australians and 17.6% of New Zealanders reporting a meditation-related adverse effect, which our recent analyses suggest may be significant underestimate of challenges associated with meditation.
Given how many people are using meditation seemingly to deal with mental health issues, plus the very real possibility of having challenging meditation experiences, we urgently need more research to make meditation safe and effective for everyone.
