It’s a phrase that’s cropping up more and more in press releases and reports, but ‘lived experience’ has received a comprehensive thumbs down from MJA members.
The home-page poll found that 71 per cent think it is tautological as all experience is, by definition ‘lived’. Only 29 per cent agree with the premise that ‘lived experience’ is nuanced as it emphasises real world experience.
Our new poll asks about the quality of PR pitches, so be sure to cast your vote and feel free to leave any additional comments below. This post is publicly visible so you may prefer not to name names.
I’ve definitely noticed an increase in sloppy press releases. This morning, for instance, one landed which started with the bold claim that “Over 40 million of us are suffering from an anxiety-related disorder with the most common treatment currently being medication. ”
Really? To support this, the release claimed, “A survey conducted in 2023 by the Mental Health Foundation found that 60% of UK adults experienced anxiety that interfered with their daily lives in the past two weeks. That’s over 40.5 million people suffering from some kind of anxiety-related disorder, including generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, and panic disorders.”
No, it’s not. Leaving aside the validity of the Mental Health Foundation survey, this figure is based on the entire UK population, not the adult population — which is coincidentally also 40.5million. So 60% of adults would be 24.3 million.
Needless to say, I won’t be following up on the claims that the gadget they’re promoting reduces anxiety within days.