Across politics, marketing, and broader culture, everyone seems to have young men in their sights. The Democratic Party is spending millions on a strategic project to better understand them, brands and publishers are racing to define modern masculinity, and Netflix’s Adolescence prompted many rounds of discourse of its own.
Often assumed to be the protagonists of the cultural narrative, young men increasingly seem like an audience that brands, politicians, and the world at large has a hard time figuring out.
Fortunately, we have thousands of data points that let us build an accurate picture of what young men think, do, and what’s changed for them recently.
You might have felt, or heard about the “vibe shift” of the last year or so - a sense that the world is becoming more culturally conservative, with young men (supposedly) at the forefront of the trend.
It’s true that young men voted Republican in greater numbers in the 2024 US presidential election. But as the popularity of Joe Rogan, Bernie Sanders, and now Zohran Mamdani shows, the traits and concerns of young men cut across party lines.
A lot has been made of Gen Z men’s changing political views. Their concerns over immigration (+13%) and loss of tradition (+20%) since 2020 have sparked particular concern. But focus on these particular points can often overshadow more material rises in concerns over saving for retirement (+36%), job security (+22%), and healthcare (+14%).
Their top concern overall? The cost of living, by far - which Mamdani focused on in his primary campaign, with considerable success.
We can analyse what’s really going on with Gen Z men by looking at their attitudes. These are status-driven consumers: being rich, respected, and doing well at work is important to them, relative to women their age. They’re more likely to be interested in conspicuous consumption - they believe a car is a status symbol, and take interest in luxury goods and sneakers.
But the truth is that they’re in a precocious position financially. 46% are gig economy workers, while only 5% of Americans with an employer-sponsored 401k are Gen Z men.
There is a tension between the ambition and status Gen Z men long for, and the financial precarity they currently sit in. In a marketing context, that suggests proving a pathway to affordable luxury, or finding ways for them to garner social kudos on a budget.
They’ve also been deprived of the social rites of passage that previous generations may have enjoyed at their age. Almost half of them still live with their parents, but they keep themselves to themselves in any case. They enjoy entertaining guests less, and there’s a distinct lack of interest around local issues compared to women. But in the absence of a real-world community, young men are looking to build ties online.
Many felt last year’s US Presidential election would be the TikTok election, but in hindsight, it might have been the podcast election. Since 2020, the share of American Gen Z men who listen to podcasts every day has increased 35%. Donald Trump and JD Vance both appeared on Joe Rogan and Theo Von’s shows, while Kamala Harris made an appearance on Call Her Daddy. Podcasts are as popular among Gen Z men as they are women - the difference is why they’re listening.
They’re twice as likely to engage with long-form content for community and connection - something they may be lacking in their social lives - creating a lightning rod for influence with this demographic. We often think about parasocial relationships in the context of young women and Instagram influencers or pop groups, but they matter to young men as well.
Something else that distinguishes young men and women is their approach to fact-checking - which also hints at broader differences in communication styles. Men are 36% more likely than women to trust social platforms as a source of truth, and over twice as likely to trust community notes.
What emerges on social media is similar to Deborah Tannen’s theories on male vs female communication styles - male communication leans towards dispensing facts, while female communication leans to expressing solidarity. Women prefer sympathy, men prefer solutions.
In addition, while Gen Z women are more likely to want brands to boost their sense of self - by listening to feedback, making them valued, or improving their day-to-day life - young men are more likely to want brands to improve their skills or status. Young women prefer brands to be more directly supportive of them, while young men want to be given the tools to support themselves.
You can see the implications all this has for messaging and outreach. Young men are more interested in self-improvement than solidarity.
Outside of the top picks, Instagram and TikTok, X has become a more male dominated platform since 2020, while 10% of Gen Z men use Snapchat on a daily basis.
Men are increasingly making up for their real-world isolation by engaging with community-driven platforms like Reddit and Discord too, and they’re more likely than women to want brands to run customer communities.
Discussing the young male audience and what masculinity represents in 2025 can make you overlook just how important humor is to them. They’re 76% more likely than the average American to fall into the memers archetype, so communicating through humor can cut through - just try and avoid a “fellow kids” moment.
In addition to Discord, gaming spaces are a distinct source of community for them, too. They’re more likely than women to play games online with their IRL friends, and more likely to game to keep up with their friends than their female counterparts.
From Mad Men to the film What Women Want, the history of marketing is replete with male-heavy boardrooms and brainstorming sessions failing to understand their female counterparts.
In 2025, the shoe is almost on the other foot - the $20 million question is: “what do young men want?”.
Some old truths remain relevant. Young men are ambitious, status-driven, want to feel competent, and they seek clarity, guidance, and direction.
But these old truths interact with some modern realities. They’re worried about the cost of living, and the shrinking of real-world social networks has led many to find their tribe through podcasts and gaming platforms.
For Democrats - or anyone, really - who wants to reach Gen Z men, the message is clear. Understand their attitudes, speak to them about issues they care about on the platforms they are native to, in their own language. As digital spaces have become stand-ins for real connection and conversation; give them something real to connect with.