Introduction:

Social stigma is the assigning of negative stereotypes to people with schizophrenia. Different measurement tools have been used to evaluate this, including knowledge scales. The aim of this study was to evaluate the public stigma by measuring this knowledge and relate the degree of information with variables that have shown to influence on stigma presented by the affected population.

Methods:

The sample was composed of 399 people and the inclusion criterion was being between 18 and 65 years of age. The "Questionnaire of knowledge on schizophrenia" was applied, as well as a questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information. Participants were recruited in places with large crowds. The following analyses were performed: multiple correlations, non-parametric bivariate and hierarchical clusters.

Results:

The questionnaire had two dimensions: "Beliefs on the knowledge of schizophrenia" and "Attitudes towards schizophrenia". There are significant differences between them, and the contact with people with SMI. In the analysis of clusters, there was difference in the two groups according to the combination of the two dimensions of the tools.

Conclusions:

It is highlighted that none of the dimensions measures true knowledge, and the questionnaire has an attitudinal dimension. More than contact itself, it is the type of interaction of a relevant variable at the level of stigma that questions the traditional hypothesis of contact. Further research is required on the characteristics of the tool and the aspects of the contact associated to a lower level of stigma in the population.

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