OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; HL: health literacy. aAppropriate responses: “strongly disagree” and “disagree” to “it is not necessary to worry about depression in a person behaving brightly”. bAppropriate responses: “strongly agree” and “agree” to “rest is important for treating depression”. cAppropriate responses: “strongly agree” and “agree” to “medicine is effective for treating depression”. dAppropriate responses: “strongly disagree” and “disagree” to “a weak personality causes depression”. eYounger age group: 18 - 54 years old. fHigher educational background: post-secondary, tertiary education or above (≥ 13 years). gHigher health literacy group: total health literacy score ≥ 3.4.Higher total health literacy score was associated with appropriate responses for “effectiveness of pharmacotherapy” (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14 - 1.93). Female sex was positively associated with appropriate responses for all 4 items; “misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people” (adjusted OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.64 - 3.10), “necessity of rest” (adjusted OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.14 - 2.18), “effectiveness of pharmacotherapy” (adjusted OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02 - 1.80), and “stigma about the cause of depression” (adjusted OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.17 - 2.08). Younger age group was positively associated with appropriate responses for “misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people” (adjusted OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.69 - 3.53), “necessity of rest” (adjusted OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.33 - 2.80), and “stigma about the cause of depression” (adjusted OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.45 - 2.73). Being employed was positively associated with appropriate responses for “misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people” (adjusted OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.02 - 1.95) and negatively associated with appropriate responses for “necessity of rest” (adjusted OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49 - 0.95). Higher educational background and history of depression were associated with appropriate responses for “misunderstanding about the behavior of depressed people”.Discussion, The burden from depression is affected by the public’s beliefs, stigma, and resulting behavior. Lack of knowledge, misunderstanding, and stigma about depressed people and their surroundings are barriers to improving their mental health. This study , The stigma surrounding depression is a widespread issue that inflicts significant harm on individuals and society as a whole. It creates barriers to seeking help, encourages feelings of shame and isolation and perpetuates misunderstandings about mental health..