Key findings

• Mental health: A substantial portion of the participants reported experiencing suicidal thoughts, with 37% of incels indicating they had daily suicidal thoughts.
• Neurodiversity: This study is the first to use the Autism Spectrum Quotient-10 (AQ-10), a validated screening tool that assesses whether someone should be referred for a formal autism assessment. It showed 30% of participants met the clinical cutoff for referral, indicating a high prevalence of autistic traits, which significantly surpasses the general population's base rate of 1%.
• Loneliness: 48% of participants selected the highest response for all three items on the loneliness scale, indicating very high levels of loneliness.
• Bullying: 86% of incels reported having experienced some form of bullying, compared to 33% of the general population.
• Ethnic diversity: The study included a diverse ethnic representation, with 58% white and 42% identifying as people of color.
• Political orientation: On average, incels positioned themselves slightly left of center politically. This challenges the common assumption that incels are predominantly aligned with far-right ideologies.
• Socioeconomic backgrounds: Participants came from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, with 40.6% identifying as middle class and 27.1% as lower-middle, challenging the notion that incels are predominantly from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Employment and education: 42.4% were in full-time employment, and 16.4% were in full-time education.
• Age: The average age of study participants was 26. In total, 18% of incels were 30 or older and the oldest in the sample was 73.