Would Men Actually Use It? What a 14,000-Man European Survey Says

Published October 29, 2026 · Investigational · Not approved

A common objection to male birth control is that men wouldn't use it. A new survey of more than 14,000 men in Europe suggests otherwise. The study was run by the research firm DesireLine with funding from the Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI). No product it asked about is approved: every method is investigational.

Who was surveyed

According to the published study record, DesireLine ran a 10-minute online survey of 14,086 men aged 18 to 45 from May 29 to July 2, 2026, about 2,000 each in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. Respondents had been sexually active with a woman in the past year and had a partner who could become pregnant. They rated six product concepts modeled on methods in development: a daily pill, a daily gel, two on-demand pills, a vas-occlusive hydrogel and a silicone ring. The two papers based on the data have been submitted to journals and were not yet peer-reviewed as of this writing.

What men said

MCI reports that, on average, 62% of men said they'd start using a new male contraceptive within a year of approval, and that more than half said so in every country. Euronews, reporting from the results presentation, said only 9% said they would never use one, and that roughly a third of willing men would start within three months. MCI adds that more than half of men whose couples have no consistent protection said they'd adopt a new method within a year, which suggests new options could expand coverage rather than just shift it.

Read it with care

Saying you'd use a product in a survey isn't the same as using it. Real uptake will depend on safety, side effects, price and access, none of which are known yet because no product has finished Phase 3. The survey also drew from opt-in online panels. Still, the European results line up with MCI's earlier 2023 research, and the combined data now cover more than 32,000 men in 14 countries.

The policy push

MCI notes that on September 16, 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on gender inequalities in health that calls for more investment in research on contraceptive technologies, "including male contraceptives." MCI also points to Germany's research ministry committing €12 million to contraceptive research for all genders from 2026 to 2029, and to WHO's new target product profiles (see our guide to WHO's standards). Funding, not demand, is what the survey's authors call the main barrier.

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If you're one of the men who'd consider a new method, our update list is a way to follow the progress. It's free and it isn't a preorder, since there's nothing to order: no male contraceptive is approved. We'll email you when trial results, filings or other real news comes out. For where every candidate stands today, see the status tracker.

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This article is news and education, not medical advice. No male contraceptive described here is approved. Get notified of updates.