From inertia to action: Driving informed super choices in a stapled world

ARTICLE

1 June 2026

2 min read

Superannuation is one of the most significant financial assets Australians will ever own – yet engagement remains remarkably low. A survey conducted by AMP Super¹ in 2025 found that less than half of Australians check their super once or twice a year, and one in four were either unaware of who their provider was or had never interacted with them.

In a system designed to support long‑term financial wellbeing, this disconnect presents a real behavioural challenge.

The behavioural challenge of superannuation stapling

As part of the Your Future, Your Super reforms, the Australian government introduced superannuation stapling to reduce duplicate accounts and unnecessary fees. Under this system, a person’s existing super fund is “stapled” to them as they move between jobs, simplifying account management and helping reduce the erosion of retirement savings.

However, stapling also shifts what’s known in behavioural science as the default.

What is a default?

A default is the option you automatically get if you do nothing. It’s the pre‑selected choice – similar to the factory settings on a new phone.

Defaults have a powerful influence on behaviour because most people tend to stick with them. Not because they’ve made an informed decision, but because staying with the default requires no effort, while changing it requires attention, time, and sometimes paperwork. Put simply, it’s human nature to choose the path of least resistance.

With superannuation stapling, your existing fund becomes your default. That means when you start a new job, unless you actively choose a different fund, your existing one carries across automatically.

For most Australians, who already have low engagement with their super, this makes switching even less likely. Even when other funds may offer better performance, lower fees, or features more aligned with long-term retirement goals.

Motivating an active choice of super fund

Our Behavioural Science team partnered with a large superannuation fund to design a corporate member campaign aimed at shifting passive acceptance to active decision-making. The campaign was grounded in behavioural science principles including:

Make the choice salient: Because people tend to stick with the status quo, we elevated the importance of choosing a super fund, highlighting the personal relevance and the potential long-term consequences of inaction.
Harness social norms: People are influenced by the actions of others around them. By highlighting the action of employees proactively choosing or automatically transferring to the employer’s chosen super fund, we leveraged social proof to normalise taking action.
Simplify complexity: Superannuation can feel overwhelming, creating cognitive load that discourages decision-making. We provided clear, simple, comparable information to help employees feel confident in making a choice without needing to navigate complex detail.
Reduce friction: Even minor hassles can stop people from acting. We made switching funds feel quick, easy, and achievable within a few minutes.

Doubling the number of enrolments

The results were compelling. The behaviourally informed campaign led to twice as many employees choosing to join their employer’s super fund.

This outcome is a powerful example of how behavioural science can help Australians make active, informed decisions that shape their financial future.

Behavioural Science at AIA

At AIA Australia, our Behavioural Science team explores how people think, decide, and act in everyday life. We use evidence from behavioural science to shape communications, experiences, products, and systems – addressing the frictions and forces that influence behaviour, and supporting Australians to live healthier, longer, better lives.

Connect with your AIA Client Development Manager to find out how we can support your members through behavioural science.

References:

¹ Over a quarter of members not engaging with funds: AMP - Super Review

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