If it's true that 83% of USAans are unaware of 988 (remember, 93% of statistics you read are made up), then they must be pretty good at not reading or seeing. My telephone bills have been having notices about 988 in them, and I've seen it on billboards. People in the USA now have to use the area code even for local calls within the same area code, and this was explained as being necessary so they could implement 988.

I'm not sure why a new number for a suicide hotline is necessary -- there are already multiple suicide hotlines in the US.

Personally, I would not use 988. Most suicide hotlines will call the police if they think you are going to commit suicide, and unfortunately the police are not trained to handle these situations and often end up killing the person they are supposedly trying to help. If I ever needed someone, I would call the Trans Lifeline, since they promise not to call the police unless you give them permission.