Can ‘toxic masculinity’ be measured? Scientists try to quantify controversial term

Nature • January 19, 2026 • world

Key Points:

A New Zealand study found that only 3.2% of heterosexual men surveyed fell into the "hostile toxic" masculinity category, indicating severe negative attitudes, while the largest group (35.4%) showed no toxic traits.
The research identified eight indicators of toxic masculinity, including prejudice against sexual identities, gender identity centrality, hostile and benevolent sexism, opposition to domestic violence prevention, and views on social hierarchy.
Men with hostile toxic traits were more likely to be older, single, unemployed, religious, ethnic minorities, politically conservative, economically deprived, emotionally dysregulated, or less educated, rather than affluent or privileged individuals.
The study challenges stereotypes by showing that toxic masculinity is not predominantly found among