The Modern Man’s Survival Guide

Not surprisingly, first aid, orienteering, and knot tying didn’t make the cut (although survival skills did round out the top 20, at No. 17). So what did—Cantonese and coding? Nope, not unless coding means “decoding the opposite sex,” which trumped knowing how to code on men’s lists. Other findings? Guys would prefer to have drinking buddies, one good bromance, and friends in high places to Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and being LinkedIn. They’d also prefer to have a nice smile and great style over sexual stamina or a scar with a good story, a humanitarian experience over an extreme travel adventure, and a father’s intuition over a college savings plan for their kids. And topping their lists—second only to a steady paycheck—was “a better half: a partner that brings out the best in you.” Awww. Here are our key takeaways from men’s survival guide, along with the top 20 qualities, skills, products, and assets that men across the country are stockpiling to make it in America today.

Experiential assets trump physical assets for men. Twice as many men would opt for a well-stamped passport (30%) over sexual stamina (16%), and “a humanitarian experience” (30%) tied with “a great body”(29%) on men’s list of survival musts.

THE BACKUP PLAN

For a generation burned by getting triple majors from top 20 colleges only to graduate into an unemployment wasteland, it’s not surprising that backup plans are in, and five-year plans are out (42% vs. 26%). Interestingly, “faith in a master plan” (that everything will work out as it should) also nudged out a five-year plan (28% vs. 27%) when men were asked which would be more relevant in five years’ time.

SURVIVAL TIP: YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH—AND A CONTINGENCY PLAN

LAID-BACK, WITH MY MIND ON MY MONEY

Rounding out the top three slots on men’s list was “downtime,” a tricky ask considering their top 20 also included a steady paycheck (No. 1), no debt (No. 4), ambition (No. 13), and a great résumé (No. 16). However, there’s hope: Time-sucking credentials—like an Ivy League education and a grad degree—were relatively low on men’s list, potentially opening up some free time for guys to just chill.

SURVIVAL TIP: PICK UP TIM FERRISS’S THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK

BROOKS BROTHERS VS. APPLE

While experiential, social, and personality assets were more central to men than were products or status symbols, there was one exception: 37% of men would opt for “one well-tailored suit” in their survival tool kit, placing it at No. 12 on their list, and outperforming—gasp!—the latest smart technology (No. 14). This prompts the question: Is Brooks Brothers the new Apple? Probably not, but it’s clear that the only elaborate knot today’s scouts need to master tying is a suit tie (incidentally, the No. 1 how-to search result on Google is “How to tie a tie,” followed by “How to take a screenshot on a Mac”).

SURVIVAL TIP: UPGRADE YOUR WARDROBE BEFORE YOUR IPHONE

BYE-BYE, BABY

Half of men (48%) are on board with baby. However, a third (30%) are not on board, and a fifth (22%) are on the fence—placing a BabyBjörn (6%) at the bottom of the list of survival musts for men. Interestingly, it was even lower on the ladies’ list (5%), and women agreed with men on the baby front: 52% are on board with baby, 31% are not, and 18% are on the fence. However, for the dads and dads-to-be, plan to invest in etiquette classes over Kaplan courses: Men would prefer a child with good manners (44%) over one with good grades (29%).

SURVIVAL TIP: NO NEED TO EARN YOUR BADGE IN DIAPER CHANGING JUST YET

RATHER WED THAN BE GOOD IN BED

Not all guys want to be eternal bachelors. A wedding ring (signifying being married) did surprisingly well on guys’ survival list. Men were twice as likely to opt for a ring than a first-class entertainment system (22% vs. 11%) and would choose a wedding band over being good in bed (13%). They’d also apply for their wedding license over a pilot’s license (7%) or a motorcycle license (5%)—although before walking down the aisle, they’d opt for their Easy Rider moment, with a cross-country road trip.

SURVIVAL TIP: GO AHEAD, PUT A RING ON IT

Men and women were surprisingly in sync when it came to what one needs to survive and thrive in America today, with a lot of overlap among their top 20 must-haves. There were a few notable differences, however. Women are more likely to necessitate social assets such as support groups (52% of women said they were essential), and they valued their girlfriends more than guys valued their bromances (64% vs. 36%). Furthermore, women were more likely to require guts and courage (25% vs. 20%) and a high tolerance for men’s antics (28%) in their survival tool kit. Find out what the modern man needs to survive in today’s world here.