Technically, and in this case it matters, this is a survey, not a real study.
I remember when I was a freshman in college in 1970 we were asked questions in anonymous surveys about dating and sex and whatnot. Totally worthless surveys because 19 year olds are all going to lie like rugs, especially the boys.
To the extent that any of this hypothesis is actually accurate, the real reason would be selt absorption and selfishness. And for a small number of the [smarter] males, it would be self protection and not having some looney chick ruin their life.
It has become so easy to perpetuate fake rape charges that it has to be scaring off a lot of men who recognize that.
It’s refreshing to find others on this site who tend to think like me. You hit the bullseye on the self absorption and selfishness aspects. Raising three teenage grandsons, I use examples of girls/women they know of who are confirmed monumental pains in the ass for one reason or another. I stress to the boys that if they don’t get their act together, get their educations, get settled on what they’re going to do for careers, etc. that there’s a girl X, a girl Y or a girl Z out there that’s just waiting to latch on to their ass and tell them everything they’ll ever need to know while living on their dime. And don’t even think about divorcing them later on... they’ll be living on slightly less than their nickel then.
I’m not encouraging them to shun women or relationships, I’m just trying to make sure that they’re getting involved for all of the right reasons, and for Heaven’s sakes, make sure the girl isn’t some kind of a psychopathic gold digger. I learned early in life that “behind every successful man, there’s a great woman!.” I tell my wife all the time “If I had it all to do over again, you’d still be the one!”
Rodney Dangerfield once said “Marry a girl who’s a good cook ‘cause the sex will soon get old,... but you’ll always be hungry!”