The THAT GUY survey – what do guys really think?
We asked men in Scotland what they think about sexual violence against women and the role they have to play in preventing it.
250 guys took a survey and shared their views on sexual harassment, misogyny and positive male role models.
Would they have a word with a mate who won’t take no for an answer?
Have they ever stepped in to stop sexual harassment?
What do guys look for in a male role model?
Find out below.
The role of men
Overall, among men aged 18-35 there were very high levels of agreement that men have a role in preventing sexual harassment and violence against women.
Of men surveyed, 94% agree that men have a part to play in reducing sexual violence against women (70% strongly agree).
96% agree they would have a word with a friend if they were pestering a woman (67% strongly agree).
94% agree that they know the difference between flirting and sexual harassment (59% strongly agree – a lower % of strong agreement/certainty that they know the difference).
Intervention and prevention
When it comes to speaking up and stepping in, 29% of men say they have intervened in a situation where a woman was being sexually harassed.
Guys aged 30-35 years were more likely to say they had intervened (32%), compared to younger men aged 18-29 (22%).
What would stop guys intervening? 37% of those providing an open-ended response say fears for personal safety would stop them from intervening, and there being a group (11%) or the potential of weapons being used (10%) are also reasons given.
A significant proportion (22%) of those providing a response say nothing would stop them intervening.
Over three quarters of men (78%) agree that they would like to do more to stop sexual violence against women in Scotland – 36% strongly agree.
Male role models
Challenging inappropriate behaviour matters. 67% agree that seeing more men speaking out would make them more confident in doing so themselves. Those aged below 30 were slightly more likely to agree (71%) than older respondents (66%).
The most common response to who a good role model may be was a variation of ‘any man’ or everyday people. This was followed by general mentions of sportspeople (9), celebrities or public figures (9) and politicians (6).
For what a good male role model should be like – confidence and the ability to speak up was mentioned most, by 23%, followed by good morals or good character, with 19%.
Harassment and misogyny
Men said they would have a word with a mate, with 96% of men agreeing that they would tell a friend to stop if they were sexually harassing a woman.
In terms of what guys see online, 84% agree that sexist and misogynistic content has a negative impact on young men. 18–29-year-olds are more likely to strongly agree.
Scotland
Only 12% strongly agree strongly that Scotland is a safe place for women, with overall agreement of 59%.
With 20% neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and 16% disagreeing, this highlights more of a grey area and less confidence in believing women are safe in Scotland.
Don’t be that guy who stays silent.
Speak up and help stop sexual violence before it starts.
5 tips for having a word with a mate
Background
A research survey commissioned by Police Scotland surrounding their ‘don’t be that guy’ campaign.
Target audience for the campaign and the research is men aged 18-35 in Scotland.
The research included a set of questions focusing on attitudes surrounding the prevention of sexual harassment and violence against women.
Methodology
An online survey through the ScotPulse research panel.
Fieldwork: 25th 29th September 2025.
250 complete responses from males ages 18-35 in Scotland. Results are unweighted.
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