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Britons fear teenage boys lack positive role models in popular culture with men too often portrayed as either wimpy or “excessively masculine”. Young men face a “crisis of identity”, according to a major report from the Centre for Social Justice which calls for a “masculinity reset”. It warns that men are too often portrayed as either “frightening” or “pathetic”.

The think tank’s recent Lost Boys inquiry concluded that “boys and young men are in crisis” with British males under-performing on a host of measures. It argues Britain’s cultural institutions are not ready to acknowledge the country has a “men problem”.

When the public were asked to name good role models, David Beckham, Keanu Reeves, Prince William, David Attenborough, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were all mentioned multiple times.

And when people were asked what characteristics they would like to see in male characters in films and on television, 57% said “honesty, respect and family values”.

The polling by Whitestone Insight found more than three in four people (76%) said young men lacked the role models they needed in popular culture. Nearly six out of 10 (57%) agreed “men tend to be portrayed at extremes as either wimpy or excessively masculine”.

David Gandy, a successful male model who contributed to the report, said: “I noticed when my daughter started watching Peppa Pig how the father is treated as a bungling fool who gets it wrong, while the mum gets everything right. I like to empower my girls and to teach them about powerful women and what they have achieved, but men are just as important and we have to shout about what’s being achieved by them, too.”

The polling found 54% of men agree that “modern dads are often treated as ineffectual or incompetent in popular culture” – though only 39% of women agreed.

Baroness Nicky Morgan, a former Culture Secretary who chairs the Advertising Standards Authority, said: “If people only ever hear about misogyny, sexual assaults and violence by men towards women, no doubt it’s going to affect how boys are seen. How people are portrayed in media undoubtedly shapes society’s view of them.

“The challenge has been getting online platforms to accept they are publishers with responsibility for content in a way that TV, radio, cinema, newspapers and magazines accepted decades ago.”

The CSJ report states: “We should be deeply concerned at the lack of good male role models in contemporary culture. Their absence has created a void filled by bad actors, a trend that seems unlikely to slow down without direct action to regulate online media.

“Given how they influence society, filmmakers, TV producers, music creators and advertisers have a duty of care to act responsibly in how they portray men and boys, and how they shape our view of masculinity.”

It warns of a dangerous backlash, saying the “argument that men are now subjugated and must rise up and reclaim what is rightfully theirs, illiterate though it might be, is rapidly gathering momentum”.

Instead, the authors call for culture to “begin the process of rebuilding men” and “build a stronger, better society”.

Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “This report confirms what many parents already recognise: too many boys are growing up without positive male role models. I hope those across our media landscape take this report seriously and commit to presenting more positive male role models for the next generation.”