Men’s Mental Health Report 2026

Mental health has become a major talking point in recent years, as many of us are realising the importance of caring for our minds just as much as our bodies. While understanding the importance of looking after our mental health has shifted, there’s still a wide belief that social stigmas around men discussing loneliness and other symptoms of poor mental health have led to them bottling up their feelings.¹

With many men still struggling to open up about their experiences, the health insurance comparison experts at Compare the Market assembled a report to show how approaches to men’s mental health can vary by country, age, and more. Compare the Market surveyed 1,500 men across Australia, the US, and Canada to understand how they feel about their mental health and the support they’re receiving for it.

Here’s what our health insurance comparison experts learned:

Forty-three per cent of respondents from Australia said that they have struggled with poor mental health symptoms in the past year. And when asked who they would talk to first when struggling, more than half of those surveyed (51%) said they would consult their partner or spouse, while 46% said they would speak to a doctor, therapist or counsellor. These rates are higher than in the US and Canada, but 12% of our Australian respondents who had suffered from poor mental health in the last year said they didn’t tell anyone.

More than half of Australian men surveyed (51%) distract themselves from negative mental health symptoms with TV, films, or other entertainment. This was the most common form of distraction from mental health issues, ahead of exercising (38%) and focusing on work (36%). Ironically, almost half of our Australian respondents (43%) say that their job negatively affects their mental health.

Australian men are less likely to discuss their feelings with friends than their American and Canadian counterparts. Almost a quarter (23%) of Australian respondents say they don’t discuss mental health with their male friends at all, while a further 25% say they feel uncomfortable when mentioning the topic. By comparison, just over half (52%) of Australian men say they felt comfortable discussing their mental well-being with peers of the same sex.

When speaking about support networks, 14% of Australian men say they don’t know anyone they could comfortably talk to about their issues. Almost half of the respondents (46%) say they could speak to two or three friends or family members, while just 13% could speak to four or more. On average, respondents’ support networks consist of 2.05 people.

Men in the US are more likely to seek professional help for their mental health than in Canada and Australia, with 21% of respondents who suffered from negative symptoms in the last year saying they had spoken to a doctor, therapist, or counsellor. On the other hand, 13% of respondents said they didn’t speak to anyone about their issues.

Our US respondents also felt more comfortable discussing their mental health with male friends than in Canada or Australia, with 61% saying they feel comfortable when the topic is raised. Despite this, more than half of men (55%) believe there is a stigma around male loneliness, while 57% report feeling pressured to appear mentally strong in times of struggle. Male support networks are larger in the US than in the other countries we surveyed, with the average respondent having 2.09 men they could comfortably discuss struggles with.

Our data also shows that men in the US are more likely to turn to avoidant coping mechanisms such as TV (58%), video games (37%), or alcohol and substances (32%), compared to the other countries we surveyed. We also found that almost half of American men (46%) say their job negatively affects their mental health in some form or another.

More than half (52%) of Canadian respondents from our survey say that they experienced mental health issues in the last 12 months. They were also more likely than men in the US or Australia to stay silent in suffering, as 1 in 5 say they didn’t speak to anyone about their symptoms. Fourteen per cent of respondents sought advice from friends, while 18% sought professional help.

Canada also has the smallest average support network of the countries in our survey, with a respondants having just 1.88 male friends they could comfortably turn to in times of need. Fifty-four per cent of Canadian men believe there is a social stigma around admitting they feel lonely, with 31% saying they feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health with male friends.

As with other countries, TV is the most common way to deal with mental health struggles, as just over half (51%) of Canadian men report distracting themselves with a show, film, or other form of entertainment. Roughly a third (33%) say they distract themselves with work. Still, Canadians are more likely to experience mental health issues from their jobs than in the US or Australia, with 48% saying their work negatively impacts them.