Men more likely to overestimate their abilities on various tasks from swimming the English Channel to scoring a Premier League goal compared to women

In a revealing glimpse into the public psyche, recent research from Ipsos in the UK highlights distinct gender differences in self-perceived abilities, revealing that men are generally more confident in their capabilities across various tasks than women. 

Respondents were given a series of potential scenarios, and asked whether they could or could not personally do a series of tasks:

• Six in ten (61%) of Britons believe that they could pass a current GCSE maths exam, with a third (33%) believing that they could get top marks.
• In contrast, just 10% believe they could swim across the English Channel. 

Clear gender divide: 

 Men are more likely to believe that they could complete a number of tasks than women: 

• Half (50%) of men believe that they could score a goal against a Premier Leage goalkeeper, compared to 10% of women (30% overall).
• 37% of men believe they could referee a Premier League football game, compared to 10% of women (23% overall).
• 16% of men believe that they could complete a marathon without training (16%), compared to 9% of women (13% overall).
• 36% of men believe that they could land a passenger plane if guided by air traffic control in an emergency, compared to 24% of women (30% overall).
• Two in ten (22%) men believe they could compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix without crashing, compared to 9% of women (15% overall).
• 36% of men believe they could get elected as an MP in their local area, compared to 19% of women (27% overall).
• 26% of men believe they could land a leading role in a Hollywood film, compared to 18% of women (22% overall).
• 24% of men believe that they could record a number one hit song, compared to 14% of women (19% overall).
• 13% of men believe that they could swim across the English Channel, compared to 6% of women (10% overall).
• Two thirds (66%) of men believe that they could pass a current GCSE maths exam, compared to 57% of women (61% overall). However, 40% of men believe they could get top marks, compared to a quarter (25%) of women (33% overall).
• Women are slightly more likely to believe that they could complete a full shift as an NHS nurse in A&E (33% women, 29% men, 31% overall).
• Similar proportions of men (24%) and women (22%) believe they could be a GP for a day (23% overall). 

Could you do better than a politician? 

Elsewhere in the poll, respondents were asked whether they could perform better than various politicians. 

• Nearly one in four (39%) of Britons think they could do a better job than Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
• Around one in three believe they could do a better job than Chancellor Rachel Reeves (35%), Prime Minister Keir Starmer (34%), and Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch (32%).

Speaking about the results, Ipsos in the UK Research Director Peter Cooper said:

What stands out in our latest research is that men consistently exhibit higher confidence in their capabilities, which raises questions about the underlying factors contributing to this disparity. Are societal norms and traditional gender roles continuing to influence self-perception? It's intriguing to note how even in tasks traditionally perceived as gender-neutral, these differences persist.

Technical note: 

• Ipsos interviewed 1,028 online adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain from the 13th – 14th November 2025.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of errors.