As part of our goal to change attitudes towards autism, we are creating a way to measure attitudes and understanding of autism over time. The Index will help us to understand where research, policy and campaigns should focus their attention. And this will help to create a more inclusive world.

Explaining the need for the project

We know that negative attitudes and lack of understanding affects most autistic people from a young age. Many are bullied at school, and go on to be excluded from the workplace or end up in jobs below their skill level. Many autistic people face stigma and negative behaviour when accessing healthcare and support or just going about their daily lives.

We need to build a more understanding and accepting world. To make change, we need to be able to measure what we are trying to change and how we can best go about doing that.

The process

We are using robust scientific methodology to develop and test the Index. It is being co-developed with neurodivergent people and the general public. We will also feed in previous research on attitudes and understanding.

We plan to have the index created by early 2024 when we will run a campaign to gather attitudes from people across the UK. The 2024 results will be shared later that year. We will publish results every two to three years showing change in understanding and attitudes.

How the index will work

The general public will be asked to complete a survey online during a period of time. This will measure their understanding of autism and their attutudes towards autistic people. The survey will then close and we will turn the results into a report which will be shared later that year. To measure change, we will run this survey every 2-3 years.

How this project is making a difference

By measuring understanding and attitudes we can help to inform Government, healthcare and education about where to focus their attention. We can get other charities and the media to raise awareness of the misconceptions and stereotypes that the index shows up. By working in partnership, and acting on evidence, we can create a more inclusive world.

How you can get involved

If you want to follow the progress of the Index, you can join our mailing list at the bottom of this page. If you are autistic or care for someone who is, you should instead join the Autistica Network.

We are also seeking corporate or charitable trust funding for the Autistica Attitudes Index. Get in touch if you'd like to know more.