Eight out of 10 Canadian men find it helpful when people ask if they’re having a difficult time, yet four out of ten Canadian men (40 per cent) say no one has asked how they’re coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report released by global men’s health charity, Movember.   

The research released today aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on social connections particularly when it comes to men, revealing a quarter (25 per cent) of Canadian men surveyed had not checked in with friends or family to find out how they were doing during the crisis, compared with only 13 per cent of women.

The survey of 1,430 ⁱCanadians, including 794 men aged 18 or older, was commissioned by Movember and carried out by the Social Research Centre, forming part of a global study of over 5,700 respondents internationally, investigating the impact COVID-19 was having on men globally. It found that approximately a third of Canadian men felt their relationships with friends (32 per cent) and work colleagues (also 32 per cent) had weakened since stay-at-home and physical distancing restrictions had been imposed.

The research also showed Canadian men were less likely to seek help (from family, friends or other sources) as a means to helping them manage changes to their life due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 49 per cent reporting they had sought help, compared to 58 per cent of women.

In Canada, older men as a group are most likely to have experienced poorer social connection, with 57 per cent of Canadian men aged 45+ years reporting they feel less connected to their friends since the COVID-19 outbreak, compared with 48 per cent of men aged 18 to 24 years.

It’s no surprise mental health continues to be a central theme in the COVID-19 rhetoric globally, and for good reason. The study showed over a quarter of Canadian men (27 per cent) reported their mental health had worsened compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19 and a third (34 per cent) stated they felt lonely more often. Prior to COVID-19, in Canada three out of four deaths by suicide are men, and it is the second leading cause of death in men aged 15 – 44. However, the role of social connectivity on mental health is well documented, showing positive impacts on alleviating feelings of anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges. With social isolation as the ‘new normal’, it is clear there are heightened mental health risks, and sadly these results also show that Canadians are more likely to check-in on how female friends and family are coping since the COVID-19 pandemic began than they are for their male friends and family.