Industry survey Credible

AXA Mind Health Report 2026

Sixth edition of AXA's annual Mind Health study, run with Ipsos among 19,000 adults aged 18 to 75 in 18 countries between 12 January and 16 February 2026. The 2026 edition reports a further fall in the Mind Health Index (46% of respondents languishing or struggling; 59% of 18 to 34-year-olds; ten of the 16 countries surveyed in every wave at their lowest since 2021), adds screen-time items (5.1 hours a day outside work), and for the first time measures the use of artificial intelligence for mental-health matters. 61% of respondents say they already use AI for mental-health questions (63% in Ipsos's summary); 42% of those users almost always follow its advice; 55% are satisfied with it; 32% have felt uncomfortable with advice received; more than one in four say an AI recommendation led them to engage in harmful behaviour; 38% say they trust AI platforms more than mental-health professionals when seeking advice.

Read at axa.com Archived copy

Publisher

AXA Group, with Ipsos

Published

2 Jun 2026

Added

1 month ago

DOI

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Key Findings

61% of 19,000 adults in 18 countries say they already use AI for mental-health matters (Ipsos summary: 63%, 21% regularly); use is most widespread in China, the Philippines and Türkiye
42% of AI users almost always follow the advice given; 55% are satisfied with it; 32% have already felt uncomfortable with advice received; more than one in four say certain AI recommendations led them to engage in harmful behaviour
38% say they trust AI platforms more than mental-health professionals when seeking advice
46% of respondents are struggling or languishing (six points above 2021); 59% of 18 to 34-year-olds; young adults are also the most open to talking and seeking help
Ireland sub-sample (n=1,000, launched 23 September 2026 by Laya healthcare/AXA Ireland): 61% used AI for mental-health advice versus 45% who saw a professional in the past year; 42% follow AI guidance without question; 39% felt uneasy afterwards; a third say the advice led to harmful behaviour
Standalone report (October 2026): compared with occasional users of AI for mental health, regular users are more likely to almost always apply the advice (64% vs 26%), to trust AI more than professionals (58% vs 23%), to say AI has become a reflex that is difficult to stop relying on (61% vs 21%) and to say some AI recommendations led to harmful behaviour (46% vs 14%)

Methodology Notes

Ipsos online survey, n=19,000 adults aged 18 to 75, 18 countries, fieldwork 12 January to 16 February 2026 (methodology note in the AXA press release). The 18 countries, per the methodology page of the standalone report published 15 October 2026: UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil and the USA; quota sampling on gender, age, occupation and region, weighted to each country's 18-75 census profile. Self-report; the wording of the 'harmful behaviour' item is not given in the release. The 61%/63% discrepancy is between the AXA release and the Ipsos page. Dates: AXA press release and release PDF 2 June 2026; Ipsos page 3 June 2026. The report was first an interactive page on axa.com (body JS-rendered); AXA Global Healthcare published a 22-page standalone report PDF, '2026 Mind Health Report: Reaching the right support', on 15 October 2026 (PDF created 14 October), which uses the same Ipsos survey and gives 63% as the share using AI for mental health.