According To Study, Young Men Are Not Mentally Ill Enough To Vote Democrat
One of the biggest stories in Washington over the next four years is whether Democrats can wrest back support among young men before the 2028 election.
But to do that, the party must first understand why young male voters have flocked so heavily to the opposition party. American statistician Nate Silver dove into that question on Tuesday, finding that the mental health gap between men and women could be the crux of the divide.
Citing a Cooperative Election Study, Silver reported that around 40% of Gen Z males consider their mental health "very good" or "excellent." By comparison, only 20% of Gen Z females say the same.
Now, let's look at party political preferences:
According to the same study, 51% of conservatives say they have "excellent" mental health compared to just 20% of liberals. When asked if they have "poor mental health," 45% of liberals responded "yes," juxtaposed to just 19% of conservatives.
Here's a full breakdown of the study, via Fox News on Tuesday:
It turns out, righteous indignation and perpetual outrage--the two cornerstones of liberalism today--are not the keys to happiness in America.
Put simply, those who report lower states of mental health, like Gen Z females, are more likely to vote Democrat.
Further, Silver summarized that young men view Democrats as "nits," which he defined as "neurotic, risk-averse, sticklers for the rules, always up in everyone's business."
What a clever term.
Silver concluded that young men would rather be left alone than "bombarded with explicit political messages." Meanwhile, the most mentally ill among us crave such messaging. They are attracted to messengers who preach change.
The Democrats' disconnect with young men runs even deeper than just the mental health divide.
Consider the average Gen Z male voter. What exactly is the Democratic Party offering them? Preachy commentaries about how masculinity is toxic and how wanting to be a provider is misogynistic (nod to Harrison Butker)? DEI programs that are designed to discriminate against them if they are straight and white, as most male Gen Z voters are? Fake tough guys like Tim Walz?
Of course, young men are leaning Republican. How could they not be?
"So the young men that Democrats have trouble with aren't necessarily the ones who have been captured by the conservative 'manosphere' or who are looking for a helping hand," Silver explains. "Rather, it's those who report relatively high mental health and see Democrats as being too neurotic and perhaps constraining their opportunity to compete and reap the rewards of their work."
Well said.
Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz waves as balloons drop onto the stage at the conclusion of the fourth and last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 22, 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the party's nomination for president today at the DNC which ran from August 19-22 in Chicago. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Democrats don't need to lean into fake machoism to regain support among young men. However, the party does need to pivot--dramatically.
One idea: stop telling white straight young men that they are privileged and must atone for it. Stop trying to convince them to move out of the way for women, gay men, and trans people because it's their turn.
There are no turns in a meritocracy.
Most importantly, stop trying to shame men for being men. Stop trying to feminize male culture with political buzzwords.
A good rule of thumb: if your candidate is too self-important and beta to sit down with Theo Von or Joe Rogan, don't expect to perform well with Gen Z men.
In other words, don't expect the Democrat Party to address its disconnect with young men by 2028. Just look at the list of early Democratic frontrunners---from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Kamala Harris, from Gavin Newsom to Pete Buttigieg.
Not exactly a quartet of people who young guys would want to sit and have a chat with, now is it?