A new benchmark study of 542 North American creators puts real numbers on what many in the field have been saying for years. A growing share feels overwhelmed by burnout, unstable earnings, and a lack of specialized support. The findings track across every part of the workflow from content performance pressure to unpaid labor to brand and platform friction.
The research comes from a partnership between Creators 4 Mental Health and Lupiani Insights and Strategies. Their survey sits alongside fourteen in depth interviews with creators and talent managers. Respondents cover a wide range of experience levels, from newcomers to those who have been at this for more than eight years. The more time creators spend in the field, the more their mental health declines. Only eight percent rate their mental health as excellent. Among creators with five or more years of experience, that number drops to four percent. Good or very good ratings slip too as tenure rises.
Burnout anchors much of the strain. Sixty two percent say they feel burnt out sometimes or often. Stress over content hits sixty six percent. Performance obsession reaches sixty five percent. Low self worth triggered by underperforming posts appears in fifty eight percent of responses. Imposter syndrome shows up for fifty two percent. Isolation follows close behind at forty three percent. Many of these patterns rise sharply with tenure. Burnout among creators with eight or more years jumps to eighty percent. Performance stress climbs past seventy percent for those in the five to seven year group and higher for the longest tenured. Even identity strain appears, with thirty percent reporting some form of identity conflict tied to their work.
Financial instability cuts across every demographic. Sixty nine percent say they sometimes or often deal with unstable income because of their creator role. The study also shows that thirty nine percent spend significant time on unpaid labor, and twenty one hours a week or more of unpaid work lines up closely with the lowest emotional well being scores. Those with negative scores often check analytics multiple times a day on every post. That group tends to feel less rested and more anxious. The emotional well being score that merges positive and negative feelings sits at plus seven on average. The spread across individuals runs from minus twenty five to plus twenty five. Those sitting in the negative range describe exhaustion even before they begin their day and lower enthusiasm for new projects.
Suicidal ideation marks one of the clearest danger signals. One in ten creators says they have had suicidal thoughts in connection with their work. The national adult figure sits near five and a half percent. Researchers call this one of the strongest indicators that creator mental health requires urgent attention. Thirty three percent say they often feel they give more than they get. Twenty seven percent often feel emotionally drained. Twenty one percent wake up tired before work even starts.
Support structures are almost nonexistent. Eighty nine percent say they have no access to specialized mental health resources. Only three percent ever had a therapist who understood creator specific issues. Two percent ever received a wellness grant. A manager or agent with mental health training appears for two percent. Even a manager or agent who provides emotional support shows up at only six percent. The gap stands out clearly when set against the number of creators who say they want support. Forty eight percent say they want therapy tailored for creators. Fifty four percent want peer support communities. Forty seven percent want mental health support available from platforms.
Community participation itself remains low. Sixty six percent have never been part of a creator community. Only twenty seven percent are currently in one. Seven percent were once part of a community but left. Event attendance follows a similar pattern. Thirty nine percent have ever gone to a creator event. The rest have not. Many who have attended say there are not enough events. Creators with five to seven years in the field are the most likely to say events fall short.
On the brand side, creators report steady friction. They engage in an average of five paid partnerships per month, though most are one time deals. Only thirty five percent completely trust their primary brand partner. Transactional relationships dominate. Fifty five percent say their brand relationships feel transactional. Lack of long term partnership opportunities sits at forty one percent often and thirty percent sometimes. Underpayment appears for thirty percent often and thirty six percent sometimes. Delayed payments hit fourteen percent often and thirty nine percent sometimes. Scope creep shows up for eleven percent often and forty two percent sometimes. These pressure points stack up for creators with poor emotional well being scores.
Platform relationships show similar strain. Only nineteen percent completely trust their main platform. Frequent algorithm changes affect forty three percent often and thirty five percent sometimes. Lack of transparency around algorithm changes impacts thirty five percent often and twenty four percent sometimes. The inability to reach a human representative hits twenty eight percent often and twenty seven percent sometimes. Many creators also mention unclear bonus eligibility and difficulties protecting themselves from harassment.
AI enters the picture as both a tool and a concern. Almost two thirds have used AI in their content creation. Among those users, a large share integrates AI sometimes or often. Concerns vary. Some worry about intellectual property. Others worry that AI might widen existing inequities. Flooding from AI generated content adds another layer. Only a small share, roughly one in ten, has considered AI avatars or voice clones.
When creators talk about solutions, their preferences line up cleanly. Sixty six percent want income stability tools built into platforms. Fifty nine percent want transparent brand pricing. Fifty seven percent want financial and contracting standards. Fifty four percent want peer support networks. Forty eight percent want business boundary education. Thirty seven percent want subsidized therapy. Thirty four percent want subsidized legal help. The pattern shows an industry with a clear wish list that still sits far from what creators currently receive.
The study closes on a simple truth. The creator economy keeps expanding, yet the people who keep it moving carry disproportionate stress with little protection. Without better support structures, the gap between the demands placed on creators and the help they receive will keep widening.
Take a look at these charts for more insights:
The research comes from a partnership between Creators 4 Mental Health and Lupiani Insights and Strategies. Their survey sits alongside fourteen in depth interviews with creators and talent managers. Respondents cover a wide range of experience levels, from newcomers to those who have been at this for more than eight years. The more time creators spend in the field, the more their mental health declines. Only eight percent rate their mental health as excellent. Among creators with five or more years of experience, that number drops to four percent. Good or very good ratings slip too as tenure rises.
Burnout anchors much of the strain. Sixty two percent say they feel burnt out sometimes or often. Stress over content hits sixty six percent. Performance obsession reaches sixty five percent. Low self worth triggered by underperforming posts appears in fifty eight percent of responses. Imposter syndrome shows up for fifty two percent. Isolation follows close behind at forty three percent. Many of these patterns rise sharply with tenure. Burnout among creators with eight or more years jumps to eighty percent. Performance stress climbs past seventy percent for those in the five to seven year group and higher for the longest tenured. Even identity strain appears, with thirty percent reporting some form of identity conflict tied to their work.
Financial instability cuts across every demographic. Sixty nine percent say they sometimes or often deal with unstable income because of their creator role. The study also shows that thirty nine percent spend significant time on unpaid labor, and twenty one hours a week or more of unpaid work lines up closely with the lowest emotional well being scores. Those with negative scores often check analytics multiple times a day on every post. That group tends to feel less rested and more anxious. The emotional well being score that merges positive and negative feelings sits at plus seven on average. The spread across individuals runs from minus twenty five to plus twenty five. Those sitting in the negative range describe exhaustion even before they begin their day and lower enthusiasm for new projects.
Suicidal ideation marks one of the clearest danger signals. One in ten creators says they have had suicidal thoughts in connection with their work. The national adult figure sits near five and a half percent. Researchers call this one of the strongest indicators that creator mental health requires urgent attention. Thirty three percent say they often feel they give more than they get. Twenty seven percent often feel emotionally drained. Twenty one percent wake up tired before work even starts.
Support structures are almost nonexistent. Eighty nine percent say they have no access to specialized mental health resources. Only three percent ever had a therapist who understood creator specific issues. Two percent ever received a wellness grant. A manager or agent with mental health training appears for two percent. Even a manager or agent who provides emotional support shows up at only six percent. The gap stands out clearly when set against the number of creators who say they want support. Forty eight percent say they want therapy tailored for creators. Fifty four percent want peer support communities. Forty seven percent want mental health support available from platforms.
Community participation itself remains low. Sixty six percent have never been part of a creator community. Only twenty seven percent are currently in one. Seven percent were once part of a community but left. Event attendance follows a similar pattern. Thirty nine percent have ever gone to a creator event. The rest have not. Many who have attended say there are not enough events. Creators with five to seven years in the field are the most likely to say events fall short.
On the brand side, creators report steady friction. They engage in an average of five paid partnerships per month, though most are one time deals. Only thirty five percent completely trust their primary brand partner. Transactional relationships dominate. Fifty five percent say their brand relationships feel transactional. Lack of long term partnership opportunities sits at forty one percent often and thirty percent sometimes. Underpayment appears for thirty percent often and thirty six percent sometimes. Delayed payments hit fourteen percent often and thirty nine percent sometimes. Scope creep shows up for eleven percent often and forty two percent sometimes. These pressure points stack up for creators with poor emotional well being scores.
Platform relationships show similar strain. Only nineteen percent completely trust their main platform. Frequent algorithm changes affect forty three percent often and thirty five percent sometimes. Lack of transparency around algorithm changes impacts thirty five percent often and twenty four percent sometimes. The inability to reach a human representative hits twenty eight percent often and twenty seven percent sometimes. Many creators also mention unclear bonus eligibility and difficulties protecting themselves from harassment.
AI enters the picture as both a tool and a concern. Almost two thirds have used AI in their content creation. Among those users, a large share integrates AI sometimes or often. Concerns vary. Some worry about intellectual property. Others worry that AI might widen existing inequities. Flooding from AI generated content adds another layer. Only a small share, roughly one in ten, has considered AI avatars or voice clones.
When creators talk about solutions, their preferences line up cleanly. Sixty six percent want income stability tools built into platforms. Fifty nine percent want transparent brand pricing. Fifty seven percent want financial and contracting standards. Fifty four percent want peer support networks. Forty eight percent want business boundary education. Thirty seven percent want subsidized therapy. Thirty four percent want subsidized legal help. The pattern shows an industry with a clear wish list that still sits far from what creators currently receive.
The study closes on a simple truth. The creator economy keeps expanding, yet the people who keep it moving carry disproportionate stress with little protection. Without better support structures, the gap between the demands placed on creators and the help they receive will keep widening.
Take a look at these charts for more insights:
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
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