Typical male reasonably balanced and at ease with himself

The overwhelming majority of men are quite content with their way of life and believe it is more important to have friends than…

The overwhelming majority of men are quite content with their way of life and believe it is more important to have friends than to be materially successful

OVER THE last two days analysis of the Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes men's poll has focused in the main on the role of relationships in their day-to-day lives, within an environment of growing economic and financial uncertainty.

Indeed, the conclusion thus far has been that despite the current economic turmoil, men have maintained an optimistic view of life in general, seeming to take a more pragmatic view of the negatives within the grand scheme of things.

Today we delve more deeply into the overall wellbeing of men from a physiological, emotional and moral viewpoint.

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To begin with the physiological component of men's DNA, it is perhaps surprising to note that 98 per cent of men describe their general health as either "good" or "middling", a figure which drops just three percentage points among those aged 55 plus.

When asked a separate question about the state of their health, fewer than one in 13 of all men express any dissatisfaction with their physical wellbeing.

It has been our experience as researchers to find that people tend to hold an overly-optimistic view of their health. Given what we know of increasing rates of adult obesity, a veritable Type 2 diabetes epidemic etc, it would appear that some men at least are burying their heads in the sand.

A series of questions relating to sports participation levels and frequency of medical check-ups would appear to support this theory. Once men reach the relatively young age of 34, the vast majority cease to participate in any type of team sports at all, with barely a quarter playing any individual sports (golf, tennis etc) monthly or more often.

While half do claim to take less strenuous forms of exercise each week (primarily walking), even this drops off significantly once men hit just 55 years of age.

With the majority checking their basic weight less than twice a year or never at all, there would appear to be a need for a health awareness campaign aimed at reminding men of the importance of monitoring their health on an ongoing basis.

Remaining with the theme of physical health, our poll reveals that just under one third of all men smoke cigarettes, a figure which peaks at four in 10 of those aged 25-34 years. Perhaps encouragingly, however, cigarette consumption is significantly lower among men in their teens and early 20s, a finding which augurs well for the future health of men.

We already know that as a society, we have problems with alcohol. One of the established academic measures of problem drinking is the extent to which those who consume alcohol indicate that they feel they should cut down. The theory is that if an individual feels they should cut down, it may well be indicative of a pending problem with alcohol dependency.

Today's poll indicates that of the 85 per cent plus of all men aged 18 to 34 who drink any type of alcohol, three in 10 have felt at some stage that they should cut down on their drinking. This is a worryingly high figure, compared with those aged 55 and older, fewer than a quarter of whom respond in a similar fashion.

Allied with extremely high levels of illicit drug consumption among young men, more effective drug awareness initiatives are clearly required if current consumption levels are to be reversed. See Figure I

Lest we take too pessimistic a view of men's overall wellbeing, an overview of their emotional state of mind is worthwhile. Figure II sets down the responses elicited when the survey participants were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of psychographic statements.

The overwhelming majority of men are quite content with their way of life, are comfortable in their own skins and are inclined to agree that it is more important to have friends than to be materially successful. The majority of men up to their mid-forties still feel that their greatest achievements are ahead of them, suggesting yet again that despite their day-to-day travails, men have chosen to adopt a fundamentally optimistic view of the world and their role in it.

With fewer than one in five of them claiming to be rebelling against the way they were brought up, perhaps this is no wonder.

As to their capacity to express their emotions, today's man again seems to be in a comfortable place. Almost six in 10 of all men feel it is acceptable for a man to cry in public, while women will be pleased to note that a majority (51 per cent) agree with the statement "I am very sentimental".

On a more serious note, we should not lose sight of the fact that, while optimistic and upbeat in overall terms, there will always be a segment of the male population which is struggling psychologically and emotionally.

For example, 20 per cent of men tell us that they have had somebody close to them commit suicide. Just under one in 10 (8 per cent) claim to have seriously considered taking their own lives, a figure which disturbingly rises to 12 per cent of males aged 18 to 34 years.

Finally, having dissected the health of the typical male from a physical and emotional perspective, a few parting words on his moral wellbeing.

In overall terms, it might be said that men's health in this respect is "middling to good".

Thus, while significant moral opprobrium attaches to drink- driving, receiving stolen goods or claiming State benefits illegally, quite a few feel they are on safe moral ground when it comes to keeping money they have found or even not paying for the TV licence.

All in all therefore, our poll paints a picture of a typical male who is reasonably balanced and generally at ease with himself. In fact, quite a likeable chap overall - despite his flaws.

• Ian McShane is managing director of Behaviour Attitudes