Island Global Research asked 2,532 islanders aged 16 and over for their views on body image, weight-loss medicines, cosmetic treatments, masculinity and misogyny. People from Guernsey made up 26% of the respondents.
Overall, 45% of women said misogyny was very widespread, rising to 71% of those aged 16-29. Results were similar across the three islands, with the biggest differences seen between genders and age groups.
The survey also found that more than one in five men held at least one view associated with ‘toxic masculinity’.
Almost a third of men (31%) believed most heterosexual women only wanted to date the most physically attractive 20% of men.
Nearly a quarter (23%) held views consistent with the idea that feminism deliberately disadvantages men.
However, fewer than 3% of men held views consistently aligned with that mindset across several measures.
‘The fact that as many as one in five males in our islands have critical views of feminism and what drives female attraction towards men illustrates the potential appeal of such content, and why men seeing it may identify with some of the messages,’ said Island Global Research manager Lilyanne Guille.
‘However, it is also reassuring that when you look across multiple measures there are very few whose mindset can be more fully characterised as consistent with the concept of “toxic masculinity”.’
On body image, 29% of respondents said they would consider using weight-loss medicines in the future, rising to 47% of women aged 30-59.
Men were almost twice as likely to consider weight-loss medicines as cosmetic treatments, at 23% compared with 12%.
‘It is striking how many islanders would consider weight-loss medicines when you consider that they are a relatively new medical development,’ said Ms Guille.
Concern about how these issues are represented in the media and online was highest among young women. Of women aged 16-29, 79% were very concerned about how attitudes towards women were represented, 74% about how the female body was portrayed and 68% about attitudes towards masculinity.
‘The relatively high levels of concern amongst young females suggests just how strongly the next generation feel there is a need for continued and meaningful change,’ said Ms Guille.
The online survey ran from 17 April to 21 May, with more than 700 responses from each island. The results were weighted to reflect each island’s population by age and gender.
The findings come as Home Affairs develops a new approach to tackling violence against women and girls.
Deputy Ross Le Brun recently urged the committee to take a tougher stance on aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards women by drivers, citing an increase in reports from women about such incidents.
But Home Affairs president Deputy Marc Leadbeater said road rage was ‘not a gender-based thing’ and rejected a sex-based approach to policing it.
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