Most employees would use mental health support at work if it were offered. Most also say it is not, or that they do not know it exists. AXA Health Business chief executive Alain Zweibrucker said eight in ten employees would join workplace mental health support programs, but two-thirds say such programs are not available to them or they are unaware of them.
The finding comes from AXA Global Healthcare's 2026 Mind Health Report, titled Reaching the right support, a survey of 19,000 people in 18 countries. Among people with a mental health concern who have not seen a professional, a third (33%) say the cost of consultations and treatment stopped them, and 15% cite fear of stigma.
Cost matters far more in some countries than others. Half (50%) of respondents in Mexico and 49% in the Philippines say it stops them seeking help, compared with 15% in Germany and 17% in Turkey. The research links the gap to funding. Where people pay directly for consultations and treatment, seeking support carries a heavier financial burden than where care is publicly funded or covered by compulsory health insurance.
Stigma varies too. It is a greater barrier in the UK, South Korea and Hong Kong than in Switzerland, Turkey and Thailand, and the report ties it partly to how well conditions are managed. In the UK, where 25% cite stigma, 36% of those with a condition say it is well managed. In Thailand, where 13% cite stigma, the figure is 52%.
Where those barriers bite, people are turning to AI. AI use tends to be higher where cost is a bigger obstacle, with 71% in the Philippines using AI tools for their mental health. People held back by stigma are also more likely to use AI to search for information on managing their mental health, at 60% against 52% of those who are not. Dr Anne Lepetit, chief medical officer at AXA Health Business, described AI as "a potential gateway to care" and said it is not a replacement for therapists, psychologists or psychiatrists.
The pattern holds for non-natives, meaning people living or working outside their country of birth. Two in five (40%) use AI to find suitable healthcare professionals or facilities, and 52% use it to search for information on managing their mental health, against 47% of natives. Cost of consultations and treatment is their main barrier to professional support, at 36%.
AXA did not break out US results; the figures are global averages and country-level findings. The awareness gap is familiar from US data, though. Insurance Business has reported that more than 75% of surveyed call center employees have access to mental health benefits but fewer than half have used them. It has also reported that average employer spending on mental health resources fell roughly 7% in 2025, according to NFP.
