New research has revealed that one in ten men fake an interest in sport and exaggerate their alcohol consumption, highlighting the enduring grip of outdated masculine stereotypes.
Samaritans’ survey also found that over two-thirds of men (68 per cent) would live differently if free from social judgment, citing desires to take up activities such as singing, painting or dancing.
Meanwhile, four in ten men exaggerate aspects of their personality due to pressure to appear more masculine, with around a third admitting to putting on an act to fit in with others.
The research, published ahead of International Men’s Day on Wednesday, found that 12 per cent of men admitted to faking an interest in sport, while the same proportion said they exaggerate how much alcohol they can drink, their physical strength and their tolerance for pain (12 per cent).
Around a fifth of men said their attempts to appear more masculine were often for the benefit of their male peers.
A wider survey of around 2,000 men and women found that around three in 10 people still believe men should not show that they are struggling or cry.
Samaritans chief executive Julie Bentley said the findings show outdated stereotypes persist “about what it means to ‘be a man’”.
Only around a third of men said they would ask for help when they need it (35 per cent).
Ms Bentley said: “We often hear that men don’t talk, but that’s not the full picture. Many men are reaching out and the problem is that they’re not always heard or met with the right kind of support.
“Outdated stereotypes about what it means to ‘be a man’ are still shaping how men express themselves, and too often that silence is reinforced by the reactions they get when they are in crisis.
“That’s why it’s essential that men aren’t dismissed when they do turn somewhere for support, and that the right support is offered to them.”
The most recent Office for National Statistics data, published last year and covering 2023, showed around three-quarters of registered deaths by suicide were among males, noting this has been the case since the mid-1990s.
Samaritans said the Government’s upcoming men’s health strategy is “an important opportunity to help drive down male suicide rates and improve the system so men feel safe, listened to, and accepted for who they are”.
The Government has previously said the strategy will “seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men across England, including improving outcomes for health conditions that hit men harder”.
Samaritans said of the 2,000 people surveyed by Opinium in October 1,016 were men.
