New research from TAL finds a consistent gap between how much Australians value personal connection and how often they act on it. Released September 28 as part of TAL’s Understanding Modern Australia Report, the findings land during Mental Health Month – and for Australia’s largest life insurer by retail market share, they sit within a claims environment that gives the research a clear commercial rationale.
TAL’s survey on social habits found that 37% of Australians cite fatigue as the main reason they cancel plans. Not feeling like going out accounted for 35%, needing time alone for 26%, and cost for one in five.
The gender divide is material. Women are considerably more likely to say tiredness disrupts their social plans – 45%, compared with 28% of men.
That figure connects to a documented coverage gap. CALI’s Gender Gap in Life Insurance report, published in March 2025, found that 38% of women in the workforce report having no life insurance coverage, compared with 30% of men. Only 26% of women hold income protection, against 33% of men. Nearly half of working women – 45% – say they cannot afford life insurance, against 36% of men.
The group most disrupted by fatigue is also carrying the largest protection shortfall.
Despite the cancelled plans, more than 7 in 10 Australians are already making time for activities that support their mental wellbeing, according to TAL’s report. The argument TAL is making is that social connection belongs alongside those habits.
Glenn Baird (pictured), head of mental health at TAL, said the gap between intention and follow-through is where the opportunity lies. “Our research shows Australians deeply value their relationships but say they lack the time or resources to connect. At the same time, most people – more than 7 in 10 – are making time for activities that support their mental wellbeing. The opportunity is to bring these things together by treating connection as part of how we look after ourselves,” Baird said.
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TAL’s research found the structure of an invitation is often the deciding factor – not intent.
Being close to home was the strongest prompt, cited by 54% of respondents. A convenient time came in at 47%, and no cost at 45%.
Baird said the implication is practical. “Make a plan that feels easy to commit to. Keep it close to home and choose a time that works. A low-key catch-up is better than an ambitious plan that never happens,” he said.
Close friends ranked as the primary source of mood support, cited by 45% of Australians, ahead of partners (42%) and family (41%). Among women, that figure rises to 50%.
Age shifts the picture. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, friends dominated at 61%, well ahead of partners at 32%. In middle age, friends, partners, and children become more evenly balanced. Among Australians aged 65 and over, partners (43%), family (42%), and friends (38%) all remain relevant.
Baird said the data confirms there is no single model. “There is no one right way to connect. For some people, it is a regular walk with a friend. For others, it is a family meal, a community group, or a phone call. The best form of connection is the one people can actually keep doing,” he said.
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According to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) Life Insurance Claims and Disputes Statistics, TAL holds 27.5% of the individual advised life insurance market by annual premium and 46.4% of the group superannuation death cover segment. At that scale, the mental health claims trajectory has direct balance sheet implications.
Mental health is now the leading cause of TPD claims in Australia, making up almost one in three claims paid, according to the Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI). In 2024, insurers paid out more than $2.2 billion in mental health claims – nearly double the figure from five years earlier. Mental ill health also drove one in five income protection claims, with payouts totalling $887 million that year.
The cost has started flowing to policyholders. AustralianSuper notified members in March 2026 that insurance costs would increase from May 30, with TPD rising by an average of 40%, death cover by 20%, and income protection by up to 38%, citing a surge in mental health and disability claims among younger members.
APRA executive director Jane Magill, in published remarks to the 2026 All Actuaries Summit, said TPD “is now being asked to solve an issue it was never built to address,” and that “there is a strong case for earlier intervention in a person’s disability journey to provide support sooner and improve long-term outcomes.”
For TAL, research into what drives and disrupts social connection sits within that logic. Earlier support – whether through product design or population-level awareness – has a measurable relationship to what eventually shows up in claims data.
