Swing-state focus group research offers clues on what Democrats have to do to win back young men
They acknowledge historical patriarchy but assert that doesn't make them invincible in a job market where graduate unemployment is concentrated among men.
Those are the latest findings in focus groups conducted by the centrist pro-Democratic group Third Way and HIT Strategies with men aged 18 to 29 from swing states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The men were lower-propensity voters - more likely to turn out in a presidential year than a midterm - and voted for Joe Biden in 2020 but switched to Trump last year.
'The belief has been that men have it easier in the labour market, and that's been true to a large extent. But that notion is at odds with the reality right now' for many young men as manufacturing gives way to the information age, said Joshua Doss, senior research manager at HIT Strategies.
'They talked about how they're really watching the economy erode the types of jobs that they were told worked for them.'
Men feeling left behind elicits eye rolls in many corners of the Democratic Party.
The gender pay gap persists, with women making 85% of what men earned in 2024, despite greater female participation in the workforce than in past decades.
The numerous calls from party leaders to appeal to the 'manosphere' and appear less 'woke' also elicit concerns that that means throwing marginalised groups under the bus on issues like trans or women's rights.
But that line of criticism only proves their point, said Lucas Holtz, a political analyst with Third Way.
'There is complete misconception from Democrats and especially from progressives about young men moving away from the party and takes from 'It was all because of inflation' to 'The guys that supported Trump are incels and sexist,'' Holtz said.
'It's just a really terrible stereotype that has backlash effect on Democrats.'
Appealing to young men has been discussed as a nearly existential question for Democrats, who haemorrhaged support in some of their traditionally most reliable demographics.
Former President Barack Obama sounded the alarm on former first lady Michelle Obama's podcast this month, saying support for young men is often mistaken for neglect of women's rights. But it's not a zero-sum game.
'We don't think about boys and just assume they're going to be okay because they've been running the world and they've got all the advantages relative to the girls. And all of which has historically been true in all kinds of ways,' the former President said.
'We've made that mistake sometimes in terms of our rhetoric. Where it's like we're constantly talking about what's wrong with the boys, instead of what's right with them.'
Incidentally, Obama was the only Democrat focus group participants could name as a masculine role model from the party.
'I think being a masculine leader is, like, outlawed in the Democratic Party right now,' one participant said.
Trump broke through with economic promises that appealed to many young men's desires to be financially self-sufficient and support their families.
The focus group participants were not heavy news consumers, largely informed through social media and podcasts, but they were still able to list Trump's economic policy promises, such as no taxes on tips, which Republicans passed into law in their recent tax cuts legislation.
Focus group participants said Democratic messaging, especially to young black and Latino men, felt like pandering to their race, if it was ever directed to them at all.
'They brought out, like, rappers and stuff. And it's, you know, nothing against rappers, but it's like, what does that do for me?' one black participant said.
For all the pull Republicans achieved among young men, many still remained unsold in either direction.
Men aged 18 to 29 are the least likely to support Democrats of any age and gender group at only 34%, but they are also the most uncommitted either way, at 13% , according to the Pew Research Centre.
While they supported Trump's policies that they thought would speak to their economic concerns, they disapproved of policies that they thought harmed others.
Deportation without due process and punishing tariffs applied to foreign countries came up as examples.
Doss and Holtz said that gives Democrats ample opportunity to win young men back.
Concise aspirational economic messages, something that can be condensed into a three-word slogan, performed well, they found.
Several focus group participants also responded well to Democratic leaders who spoke directly to them, whether it was former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg speaking with podcaster Andrew Schulz about connecting with differing viewpoints or Maryland Governor Wes Moore talking about the need to invest in young men.
'A straight talker, you know, someone that's not, like, beating around the bush,' one participant said of who would be an ideal candidate.
'Somebody that just is not afraid to say what they feel. That's a very masculine trait.'
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