Our survey asked a few questions to understand how Americans think society views men who are “manly or masculine.” We also asked people whether they think certain traits are valued in men too much or too little.
Perceptions of how manly or masculine men are viewed in the U.S.
More Americans say people in the U.S. have mostly positive views of men who are manly or masculine (43%) than say people have mostly negative views (25%). About three-in-ten (31%) say most people have neither positive nor negative views of these men.
Of those who say people in the U.S. have mostly positive views of masculine men, more see this as a good thing (47%) than a bad thing (7%). Some 46% say it’s neither good nor bad that people have mostly positive views of masculine men.
Among those who say people in the country have mostly negative views of masculine men, about three-quarters (73%) say this is a bad thing. Just 9% say it’s good that people in the U.S. have mostly negative views of this type of man, while 18% say this is neither good nor bad.
Differences by gender
Women are more likely than men to say people in the U.S. have mostly positive views of masculine men (49% vs. 36%). In turn, 33% of men say people have mostlynegative views, compared with 18% of women.
Men who say people have mostly positive views of masculine men are somewhat more likely than women who say the same to see this as a good thing (51% vs. 45%).
And while majorities of men and women who say people have mostly negative views of masculine men see this as a bad thing, a larger share of men (77%) than women (66%) holding this view say this is the case.
Differences by party
About half of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (49%) say views of masculine men are mostly positive; 37% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the same.
Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to say people in the U.S. have mostly negative views of masculine men (35% vs. 17%).
Among those who think Americans have mostly positive views of masculine men, 67% of Republicans say this is a good thing, compared with 33% of Democrats.
Similarly, 86% of Republicans who say people in the U.S. have mostly negative views of masculine men see this is a bad thing, much larger than the share of their Democratic counterparts who say the same (45%).
Overall, Republican men are more likely than Republican women and both Democratic men and women to say people in the U.S. have negative views of men who are manly or masculine. In fact, Republican men are the only group in which more say views are negative than positive.
- Republican men: 45% say people have mostly negative views; 28% say views are positive.
- Republican women: 24% negative versus 48% positive.
- Democratic men: 20% negative versus 46% positive.
- Democratic women: 13% negative versus 52% positive.
Traits society values too much or too little in men
When thinking about how men are viewed in the U.S. these days, 60% of Americans say most people don’t place enough value on men who are caring or open about their emotions.
Majorities also say most people don’t value soft-spoken or affectionate men enough (55% each).
Views are more split when it comes to traits that tend to be associated with traditional masculinity. For example, similar shares say society values men who are confident too much (26%) as say they’re valued too little (27%).
And the public leans toward saying most people place too much value,rather than too little value, on men who are:
- Assertive (34% vs. 25%)
- Risk-takers (33% vs. 22%)
- Physically strong (38% vs. 19%)
Still, roughly four-in-ten Americans or more say people value these traits in men about the right amount.
Differences by gender
About half or more among both women and men say society doesn’t place enough value on men who are caring, open about their emotions, affectionate or soft-spoken. But larger shares of women than men say this is the case when it comes to men who are open about their emotions, affectionate or soft-spoken.
By margins ranging from 4 to 10 percentage points, women are more likely than men to say most people place too much value on men who are physically strong, assertive, risk-takers or confident. Meanwhile, men are more likely than women to say these traits aren’t valued enough in men.
Differences by age
Americans under 50 are more likely than those ages 50 and older to say men who are caring, open about their emotions, affectionate or soft-spoken aren’t valued enough.
Those in the younger group are also more likely than those in the older group to say most people place too much value on men who are physically strong, assertive, risk-takers or confident.
These age differences are evident among both men and women.
Differences by party
By margins of 10 points or more, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say most people in the U.S. don’t place enough value on men who are:
- Open about their emotions (71% vs. 49%)
- Soft-spoken (65% vs. 46%)
- Affectionate (62% vs. 50%)
- Caring (66% vs. 56%)
In turn, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say most people don’t place enough value on men who are:
- Confident (38% vs. 16%)
- Physically strong (30% vs. 10%)
- Assertive (34% vs. 15%)
- Risk-takers (32% vs. 15%)
Differences by masculinity and femininity rating
The survey asked respondents to rate themselves on masculinity and femininity scales. (Read Chapter 6 for more details on these measures.) Among men, views of whether certain traits are valued too much or not enough vary by how they rate themselves.
Men who see themselves as highly masculine are more likely than those who rate themselves as less masculine to say most people don’t place enough value on men who are:
- Confident (40% vs. 24%)
- Assertive (39% vs. 23%)
- Risk-takers (35% vs. 23%)
- Physically strong (29% vs. 17%)
