Why a Third of Canadians Have Never Participated in Movember-Despite Knowing Exactly What It Is

Read time: 7 mins

Nine out of ten Canadians know Movember. Yet more than one in three have never participated. And when you dig into why, the answer isn’t apathy-it’s access.

The Logit Group conducted a snapshot survey of Canadians to understand how they perceive and engage with Movember-and what we found reveals a movement with a messaging problem, not a marketing one.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t a story about a forgotten cause. It’s a story about barriers hiding in plain sight.

• ✅ 90% are familiar with Movember (awareness is sky-high)
• ✅ 64% view it as a meaningful movement for men’s health
• ✅ 85% consider it effective at raising awareness
• ❌ Yet 36% have never participated—not once
• ❌ 33% primarily associate Movember with moustaches, not health
• ❌ 33% say their #1 barrier is not knowing how to get involved
• ❌ 25% never discuss men’s health outside November

When nearly everyone knows your brand but a third don’t know how to join, you don’t have an awareness problem. You have an activation problem.

The Awareness-Action Gap: Everyone Knows, Few Act

Movember has achieved something rare in the charity space: near-universal brand recognition. But recognition without participation is a symptom, not a success.

Familiarity Breakdown

• ● 44.4% Very familiar with Movember
• ● 45.7% Somewhat familiar
• ● 9.9% Heard of it, but not sure what it’s about

Combined, almost 90% of Canadians have meaningful awareness of the campaign. For a charity initiative, this is exceptional—comparable to awareness levels of Canada Day or Thanksgiving.

What This Means

Movember doesn’t need more visibility. It needs clearer pathways. When 9 out of 10 people know you exist but only 3 in 10 have directly participated, the bottleneck isn’t at the top of the funnel—it’s in the middle.

The Participation Reality: A Tale of Two Groups

Direct Participation vs. Support

• ● 31.7% Have directly participated (once or multiple times)
• ● 31.8% Have supported someone else who participated
• ● 36.3% Have never participated

The Gender Split Tells the Real Story

When we break participation down by gender, a striking pattern emerges:

Participation Type	Men	Women
Directly participated	55%	16%
Supported someone else	22%	38%
Never participated	23%	45%

Men participate directly at more than triple the rate of women. But women support others at nearly double the rate of men. This reveals Movember’s hidden dynamic: women are major advocates, but they don’t see themselves as participants.

This is a missed opportunity. If “supporting someone who participated” was reframed as full participation, engagement rates would jump from 32% to 63%.

The #1 Barrier: “I Don’t Know How”

When non-participants were asked what’s stopping them, the top answer wasn’t indifference—it was confusion.

Barrier Breakdown

• 32.7% Don’t know how to get involved
• 22.4% Other reasons
• 16.8% Don’t feel personally connected to the cause
• 16.5% Don’t like the moustache aspect
• 11.6% Not interested

The Barrier Problem

Nearly one in three Canadians want to participate but don’t know how. This is a solvable problem—yet it persists year after year.

The moustache itself creates a secondary barrier. For 16.5% of respondents (many of them women who cannot grow facial hair), the campaign’s signature activity feels exclusionary. Add the 16.8% who don’t feel personally connected, and you have a third of non-participants who could be activated with clearer messaging and alternative entry points.

The Moustache vs. Health Perception

When asked what Movember is primarily known for, responses split in an interesting way:

• 42.9% Men’s health awareness
• 33.3% Growing a moustache
• 12.2% Cancer fundraising
• 6.9% Mental health awareness
• 4.6% Not sure

The Perception Gap

One in three Canadians think Movember is primarily about moustaches—not health. This is both a branding success and a messaging liability.

The moustache is memorable. But if memorability overshadows meaning, you attract spectators rather than supporters.

Combined, 62% correctly identify a health-focused mission. But the 33% who see it as “primarily moustaches” represent a significant cohort who may participate casually without connecting to the cause—or dismiss it entirely as novelty.

Effectiveness Perception: High Marks, Mixed Signals

Despite barriers, Canadians give Movember strong ratings for effectiveness.

Effectiveness Ratings

• 32.7% Very effective
• 51.8% Somewhat effective
• 8.6% Not very effective
• 5.0% Unsure
• 2.0% Not at all effective

A combined 84.5% consider Movember effective at raising awareness. This is a significant vote of confidence.

The Workplace Factor

• 50.5% Say Movember is widely supported in their workplace/social circle
• 32.3% Say it’s recognized, but treated mostly for fun
• 11.2% Say it’s not really taken seriously

Half of respondents see genuine support; a third see it as entertainment. The “mostly for fun” perception may explain why awareness doesn’t translate into donations or sustained engagement.

Health Issue Association: Mental Health Is Gaining Ground

When asked which health issue they most associate with Movember:

• 45.9% Prostate cancer
• 34.7% Mental health
• 9.2% Suicide prevention
• 8.9% Testicular cancer
• 1.3% Other

What This Means

Prostate cancer remains Movember’s primary health association, but mental health is closing the gap. More than a third of Canadians now associate Movember with mental health—a significant shift from the campaign’s cancer-focused origins.

This matters because mental health has broader resonance across demographics. Men and women can both advocate for mental health awareness; only men can grow moustaches for prostate cancer.

The Silent Majority: Men’s Health Conversations Don’t Last

Perhaps the most telling finding: what happens to men’s health conversations after November ends?

How Often Canadians Discuss Men’s Health Outside November

• 23.4% Frequently
• 33.7% Occasionally
• 18.2% Rarely
• 24.8% Not at all

Nearly one in four Canadians never discuss men’s health outside November. Another 18% rarely do. Combined, 43% of respondents let the conversation die until next November rolls around.

The Gender Surprise

An unexpected finding emerged: women are marginally more likely to discuss men’s health frequently than men themselves.

• Women who frequently discuss men’s health: 24.9%
• Men who frequently discuss men’s health: 21.3%

Women are more likely to be the ongoing advocates for men’s health—not men. This suggests campaigns targeting women as advocates (not just supporters) could extend Movember’s impact beyond the calendar month.

Overall Perception: Meaningful, But Not Universal

When asked for their overall view of Movember:

• 63.9% It’s a meaningful movement for men’s health
• 22.5% It’s a fun tradition, but not impactful
• 9.6% I don’t know enough to say
• 4.0% It’s outdated or irrelevant today

The Perception Challenge

Nearly two-thirds see genuine meaning. But 22.5%—more than one in five—view it as fun without impact. This “fun but not impactful” perception likely comes from the 33% who associate Movember primarily with moustaches rather than health outcomes.

When your campaign’s most visible activity (growing facial hair) is treated as novelty, you risk building a tradition rather than a movement.

Donation Intent: Brand Loyalty Holds

If respondents chose to donate to a men’s health cause, where would they give?

• 50.8% Movember Foundation
• 23.1% Unsure
• 17.2% Another men’s health charity
• 8.9% I don’t donate to health causes

Half of Canadians would choose Movember directly—strong brand loyalty. But nearly a quarter are unsure, suggesting an opportunity to capture undecided donors with clearer impact messaging.

The Implications

For Movember and Men’s Health Organizations

• Expand participation pathways beyond moustaches. Offer clear, visible alternatives: donations, “Move for Movember,” mental health conversations, workplace challenges. The 16.5% alienated by the moustache requirement represent recoverable participants.
• Reframe “support” as participation. The 32% who “supported someone who participated” don’t see themselves as Mo Bros or Mo Sisters. Changing this perception could nearly double engagement rates overnight.
• Address the “how to participate” gap directly. One in three non-participants want in but don’t know how. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

For Employers

• Don’t let workplace Movember become “just for fun.” The 32% who see it as mostly entertainment represent a disengagement risk. Connect activities to health outcomes, not just moustache competitions.
• Involve women as full participants. Women are already advocating for men’s health at higher rates than men—yet they’re often positioned as supporters, not participants.
• Extend conversations beyond November. When 43% of employees never or rarely discuss men’s health outside November, there’s an opportunity for year-round programming.

For Health Communicators

• Lead with mental health. At 35% association, mental health resonates across demographics. It may be the key to broader engagement.
• Acknowledge the moustache paradox. The moustache is both your greatest asset and your greatest liability. Own it while offering alternatives.
• Target year-round advocacy. One month of awareness doesn’t change behaviour. The real impact comes from the 57% who continue conversations after November.

Why the 36% Non-Participation Rate Matters

If more than a third of Canadians have never participated in Movember despite knowing exactly what it is, they’re making decisions based on:

• Perceived exclusion (“It’s for men who grow moustaches”)
• Confusion about entry points (“I don’t know how to get involved”)
• Disconnection from the cause (“I don’t know anyone with prostate cancer”)
• Fun-without-purpose perception (“It’s just a tradition”)

These are all fixable. Unlike awareness gaps (which require expensive campaigns), activation gaps require clearer messaging and more accessible pathways.

Comparing Participation Levels

Action Type	Rate
Know Movember (passive, cultural)	90%
View it as meaningful (passive, opinion)	64%
Have supported someone (semi-active)	32%
Have directly participated (active)	32%
Never participated	36%

The pattern is clear: the more action required, the fewer participants—even when belief and awareness are high.

Methodology

This snapshot survey research was conducted by The Logit Group among 303 Canadian adults aged 18-65 via an online survey in November 2025. The study employed a non-probability opt-in panel sample. Because this survey used a non-probability sample, a margin of error cannot be calculated, and results are directional and should not be generalized to the entire Canadian population. The Logit Group is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. For more information or to request the full survey questionnaire, please contact us.

FAQs

About The Logit Group

The Logit Group is a market research and data analytics firm specializing in consumer insights, brand strategy, and social research. Working across corporate, non-profit, and public sector organizations, we help stakeholders understand what Canadians really think—and what drives action.