It feels like everywhere I turn, there’s another data point about Gen Z making headlines.
Here are five I’m paying attention to this week.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating is 28% with young men under 30, according to the latest NBC News Decision Desk poll. Why this matters: In 2024, young men backed Trump by a 1-point margin, according to NBC exit polls at the time. So this marks a stark swing in the other direction.
Half of Gen Z says they’re open to a romantic relationship with AI, according to data from the Harris Poll. Why this matters: Gen Z has a love hate relationship with AI but is using it everyday — often because it’s easier than not using it. But while AI’s utility for work and school is obvious, ceding personal relationships to chatbots could have drastic consequences, especially for a generation that grew up amid Covid with already-stunted social skills.
Young men are still Obama-pilled. The former president has a 64% approval rating among young men, according to Puck reporting of data from Speaking with American Men. Why this matters: As we wrote about last spring, Gen Z is anti-establishment but loves Obama, and not just because they’re nostalgic. He’s an anti-dote to Trump and represents a bygone political era and version of masculinity that young men are craving.
Nearly half (48%) of Gen Z is part of an online community, according to a new Pew report. Why this matters: As much as Gen Z is leaning into its IRL renaissance, they’ll always be digital natives and still find use in forming relationships online.
More than 4 in 10 Gen Zers (41%) say “texting and emailing is draining,” according to Quad from The Harris Poll, compared to 26% of all Americans. Why this matters: Something that was supposed to decrease the friction of a phone call is now perceived as actually more difficult. And as a voice-note stan myself, I must say, I can relate.
Noteworthy Reads & Watches
Reads: The Case for the Entry Level Boyfriend, Sadie Kargman for The Cut, ‘You Barely Understand Regular Money’: Why Young Men Keep Gambling, Victoria Guida for POLITICO, Has Luxury Lost its Hold on Youth Culture?, Joe Bobowicz for Vogue Business, Lance Oppenheim Is Going Places , Alex Barasch for Vulture.
Watches: Today I joined Joe Walsh for a conversation about Gen Z in the midterms. You can watch it here. And last week, I joined Jessica Tarlov and BigTentUSA for a conversation about her new book, ‘I Disagree’: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends. You can watch it here.
Everyone should read Jessica’s new book, which you can order here!!
Thanks Rach.
Number 2 makes me sad and why I want to work with younger men so much, even though they are much more resistant to coaching