The term “toxic masculinity” gets thrown around constantly online. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it, yet remarkably little actual psychological research has examined how common these attitudes really are. A new study from the University of Auckland just changed that with a finding that might surprise you: only about 11% of men show clear signs of toxic masculinity.
Published in Psychology of Men & Masculinities, the research analyzed data from more than 15,000 heterosexual men in New Zealand, ranging from age 18 to 99. Rather than making broad assumptions about masculinity, the team measured eight specific psychological markers that could indicate problematic attitudes, from sexual prejudice and hostile sexism to narcissism and opposition to domestic violence prevention. The results paint a far more nuanced picture than the online discourse would suggest.
Most Men Fall Into Three Moderate Groups
The researchers used advanced statistical modeling to identify distinct profiles of masculinity across their massive sample. The largest group, dubbed “Atoxics” and representing 35% of participants, showed consistently low levels across all eight toxic masculinity indicators. Think of them as the guys who simply don’t buy into destructive gender attitudes.
The next two groups, making up about 27% and 27% respectively, showed low-to-moderate levels on most indicators. The main difference between them? Their attitudes toward sexual orientation. One group expressed tolerance toward LGBT individuals, while the other showed higher levels of sexual prejudice. But neither demonstrated the extreme attitudes that define toxic masculinity.
Together, these three groups account for nearly 90% of the men in the study. That’s the vast majority operating with attitudes that don’t align with what we typically mean when we talk about toxic masculinity.
Two Flavors of Toxic
Here’s where it gets interesting. The roughly 11% who did show toxic masculinity weren’t all the same. Lead researcher Deborah Hill Cone and her team identified two distinct toxic profiles, and the differences matter.
The “Benevolent Toxic” group, representing about 8% of men, showed high levels of benevolent sexism and sexual prejudice. This is the “women need protection” mindset that seems chivalrous on the surface but ultimately views women through a stereotypical lens. These men also scored moderate-to-high on other problematic markers.
The “Hostile Toxic” group, just 3% of the sample, showed the highest levels of hostile sexism, opposition to domestic violence prevention, disagreeableness, narcissism, and social dominance orientation. This is the overtly harmful end of the spectrum — the attitudes most people picture when they hear “toxic masculinity.”
Why This Actually Matters
This research arrives at a crucial moment. Men are consistently less likely to seek mental health support than women, and they die by suicide at rates four times higher. The prevailing narrative has often been that masculinity itself is the problem, but this study suggests something more specific.
When we paint masculinity with a broad toxic brush, we might actually be making things worse. A 2024 study of over 4,000 men in the UK and Germany found that believing masculinity negatively influences behavior was linked to worse mental wellbeing. Around 85% of respondents found the term “toxic masculinity” itself insulting and potentially harmful.
The distinction between hostile and benevolent toxic masculinity also has practical implications. Different interventions work for different attitudes. Hostile sexism requires direct challenges to dominance and aggression. Benevolent sexism might respond better to education about how seemingly protective attitudes still limit women’s autonomy.
89% Opens a Door
The research team drew from New Zealand’s Attitudes and Values Study, one of the largest ongoing social science projects in the country. The sheer scale lends weight to these findings, though the researchers acknowledge limitations. The sample only included heterosexual men in New Zealand, and a single snapshot can’t tell us whether these attitudes remain stable over time.
Still, there’s something quietly optimistic about discovering that 89% of men don’t subscribe to destructive gender attitudes. It doesn’t erase the real harm caused by the 11% who do, but it suggests a different starting point for conversations about masculinity and mental health.
The men dealing with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts who won’t seek help aren’t necessarily doing so because they’re toxic. They’re often caught between outdated masculine norms that say asking for help is weakness and a broader cultural conversation that sometimes conflates masculinity itself with pathology.
This research gives us room to have a more precise conversation. Most men are already rejecting toxic attitudes. The work now is supporting that majority while addressing the specific, measurable problems among the minority who haven’t — and doing it in ways that make all men feel like mental health support is actually meant for them.