The Great Male Survey

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AskMen.com has just posted the results to the Great Male Survey, an interesting look at what men think and how men experience themselves, their work, and their relationships. I wish they would have looked more at spirituality and religion, not to mention more about how men actually perceived themselves.

Who and what is "the modern man"? Arriving at a definition tends to involve making a lot of assumptions, and descriptions of the modern man are varied and plenty: there's the player, the family man, the workaholic, the dandy (to name just a few). Determining whether or not any of these portrayals are factual largely boils down to a single question: Is there any real data to back them up?

Until today, the answer was no. As the No. 1 men's lifestyle site on the web, we knew that it was up to us at AskMen.com to deliver the numbers. And as one of our millions of monthly readers, it was up to you to supply them. And we both pulled through! Our 2008 Great Male Survey, launched in conjunction with Yahoo! Shine's Great Female Survey, was a big success, drawing over 75,000 participants who generated a combined total of more than 10 million answers.

So now we reveal the results. Read on to discover what you and your fellow men feel about dating, sexuality, lifestyle, money, and our gender in 2008 -- in short, who the modern man is.

Lifestyle Results | Dating Results | Sexuality Results | Power & Money Results | Men In 2008 Results

Some totally random and interesting results:

94% believe that real men cry (but 58% have conditions)
93% feel that American men are getting fatter
60% feel that no commercial portrayal of men is accurate
69% are concerned about the effects of global warming
57% thinks actors or musicians should be considered role models

21% measure personal success at work by salary
38% are comfortable speaking in front of more than 100 people
61% are not terribly excited about going to work each day
48% think status symbols are lame

53% try to watch what they eat
41% maintain daily basic hygiene, a regular haircut, and additional skin care
66% think men should never stop playing video games
59% want better abs

78% would change something about their girlfriends
77% think it's important that a girlfriend be "wife material"
71% can't tell if a woman fakes an orgasm
79% feel that women put too much emphasis on financial worth
75% believe in the idea of soul mates (24% have found her)
70% believe that marriage is a necessary institution that I will participate in and to help preserve
77% have shed tears over a woman
59% would dump their girlfriend if she got fat
49% fear commitment
35% have faked an orgasm

27% (only!) believe sexual orientation is determined at birth
33% believe homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, and it's immoral

Go read all the results.

The results are interesting, although this survey was clearly answered by a predominantly straight readership.

I find it interesting that 48% think status symbols are lame, but that 59% would dump their girlfriend if she got fat.

The only two questions that addressed homosexuality are also interesting. I guess it's good that only 33% believe that homosexuality is immoral, but it's also depressing that 73% believe that it's a lifestyle choice and is not biologically determined.

You can read about what women think here.

Tags: culture, masculinity, men, psychology, sexuality, AskMen.com, The Great Male Survey, relationships, Lifestyle, Dating, Power, Money, modern men