Young Men and Women Taking the Gender Gap to New Heights in Politics

A new NBC News Stay Tuned Poll shows an increasing gender gap in American politics, particularly among Gen Z. Women are more likely to identify as Democrats, especially regarding their views on Trump and Musk. The gap also extends to concerns over democracy, abortion, and cultural issues, with women expressing deeper discontent about the country’s direction than men.

The gender gap in American politics is becoming more pronounced, especially among Gen Z. Recent research from the NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey, reveals that this divide is particularly striking in political views around key figures like President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, along with discussing immigration and broader societal values.

Gen Z women are key players in this situation. They tend to identify as Democrats more than their male counterparts, resulting in a substantial rift compared to the entire U.S. population. If this trend continues, it could have lasting impacts on American politics for many years ahead.

Take Trump’s approval ratings as an example. Among all adults, 45% approve of his performance, with a disapproval rate of 55%. Among younger adults aged 18 to 29, the disapproval number shoots up to 66%. Young men show 45% approval for Trump, while only 24% of young women agree with this assessment, revealing a major 21-point gender gap.

This gender gap isn’t isolated to just this age group. For older generations, the disparity is much narrower—7-point for those 65 and older, 13-point for ages 45-64, and 9-point for ages 30-44. The survey’s results stem from a sizable sample size of 2,230 respondents aged 18-29, with a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points among this group.

Additionally, disparity continues onto immigration views and opinions about Musk. While overall favorability for Musk among adults is at 41%, only 20% of Gen Z women feel the same. It seems like young women are leaning heavily Democratic, while men show more diverse political affiliations.

Currently, 52% of Gen Z women identify as Democrats, the highest concentration of any group, contrasted with one-third of Gen Z men. On the flip side, 38% of young men lean Republican, while only 20% of young women place themselves in that camp.

Looking at perceptions of the country, Gen Z women have a bleaker outlook. Only 20% feel America is on the right track, compared to 37% of young men. Meanwhile, attitudes toward cultural issues show a divide as well—about 37% of young men are “extremely proud” to be American, while only 18% of young women feel similarly.

The gender divide in this generation isn’t restricted to politics alone. Young men and women are consuming news differently; twice as many young women prefer TikTok for news, while young men favor YouTube. Prioritized issues also vary greatly. The economy stands at the top of the list for 31% of young men, but only 22% of women prioritize it. For women, threats to democracy and abortion issues take center stage.

In terms of diversity and inclusion initiatives, Gen Z women are much more supportive—85% see such efforts as helpful versus 63% of young men. There’s also a notable discrepancy in how young people view gender roles. While a majority of young men agree on a binary gender perspective, half of the women surveyed don’t share that view.

Interestingly, three-quarters of Gen Z women disagree with the idea that the country would be stronger with women in traditional roles, compared to 59% of men. Despite being a generation with similar discontent regarding Trump’s administration, differences in opinions between genders continue to grow as we see entrenched positions on delicate cultural questions.

This polling data, sourced from 19,682 adults aged 18 and older, conducted from April 11 to 20, offers insights into potential trends and shifts in American political landscapes. The margin of error across adults stands at plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

Original Source: www.nbcnews.com