Young Australian adults are less likely to do activities which would improve their mental health and wellbeing, a survey has found.

Only 18 per cent of Australians regularly seek advice or support when they're feeling stressed or down.

Commissioned by Mental Health Australia, a survey asked 1233 people what they did to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

They were asked about activities such as getting a good night's sleep, making time to socialise with family or friends and exercising for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Generally, Australians are doing better than expected in the lifestyle factors, said Frank Quinlan, CEO of Mental Health Australia.

"However, we found when we looked at these and other activities in young adults between 18 and 29, the results were not as strong," he said.

"In fact, the research found this same age group was surprisingly the least likely to socialise with friends and family and, perhaps not surprisingly, the least likely to take time out from their electronic devices.

"We also found people who are on lower incomes are less likely to be doing things that are helpful to their mental health and wellbeing."

The most concerning result was the small percentage of people who regularly sought advice or support when they were stressed or down.

"With only 18 per cent regularly seeking help, we have a long way to go to make it okay to do something about our mental health and wellbeing," he said.

And 49 per cent of people aged over 70 said they rarely or would never seek such help.