The State of Man survey questioned over 1,000 men in the UK of all ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds and occupations, with a particular focus on modern masculinity, employment, mental health and sexual behaviour.
The State of Man showcases, say the publishers, the diverse and changing nature of masculinity that we see in the UK today.
According to GQ, key findings of The State of Man survey are as follows:
On Masculinity:
* 66% of men think that being present as a father is associated with modern masculinity.
This increases to 73% in men aged 55 and over, and men aged 35-44 rate this as their top association (35%).
* 76% of men aged 16-24 are more likely to disagree that the advancement of female empowerment at work/ in the home threatens them as a man, than men over the age of 55 (57%).
* 75% of men identify themselves as being completely male, compared to 58% of 16 to 24-year olds.
* 70% of men aged 25-34 think that telling a man to simply, ‘man up’ is tired, staid and unhelpful.
* 32% of all men questioned agreed in some form or another that masculinity was in crisis, compared to 36% who disagreed.
* 19% of men aged 16-24 rated David Beckham and Elon Musk as top celebrity role models.
On Sexual Behaviour:
* 11% of 16 to 24-year olds now consider themselves bisexual, compared to 3% of men aged 25-34.
* Only 52% of men questioned aged 55 and over were aware of the #MeToo movement. In contrast, 88% of men aged 16-24 were aware.
* 36% of men aged 16-24 fear being wrongly accused of sexual harassment compared to 28% of 45-54-year olds.
* 11% of men aged 25-34 questioned said they had changed their behaviour as a result of #MeToo.
* 55% of men over the age of 55, do not think that wolf-whistling at a female colleague in the workplace counts as sexual harassment.
* 15% of men aged 25-34 questioned do not consider taking a surreptitious picture up a women’s skirt as workplace sexual harassment.
On Mental Health:
* 23% of men questioned aged between 16 to 44 have used, or would consider using, a therapist to talk about their emotions (This figure rises to 33% for 45-54s).
* When asked if, in the last year, if they had ever felt that life was not worth living, 33% of 25 to 44s said yes. In the LGBT+ community, the figure increases to almost half (45%).
* Around a quarter of 25-44-year olds have thought about taking their own life in the last year. This rises to over a third in the LGBT+ community.
* Of the most affected age group –the 25-34-year olds – 6% have attempted suicide in the last year. The figure is 5% for the LGBT+ community.
* Only 3% of men questioned aged 16-24 said that social media was impacting their personal wellbeing ‘extremally positively’. All age groups saw social media more negatively than positively.
The December issue which commemorates GQ’s 30th anniversary and features the full findings of The State of Man survey is available on digital download now and on newsstands on Thursday 1st November.
