Don’t Believe the Manosphere Hype
A new survey suggests that Gen Z guys are less radical than they seem.
A new survey sheds doubt on the common assumption online that Gen Z men are all right-wing. The survey, conducted by liberal publication the Argument, found that Gen Z guys aren’t more conservative than millennial or Gen X men. In fact, they aren’t that much more conservative than Gen Z women.
The Argument’s survey was conducted in February, and got responses from just over 3,000 registered voters. The survey found the smallest political divide between the youngest cohort of American adults. Gen Z women are only 4.7 points less likely to identify as conservative than their male counterparts. Respondents over 65, in contrast, have a gender gap of more than 12 points. While Gen Z men are more conservative than Gen Z women, they are substantially more liberal than men in their 30s or older.
The Argument’s survey found the most interesting partisan divides along generational, not gender, lines. Gen Z respondents, regardless of sex, were less conservative regarding gender roles than older respondents. When asked whether “society would benefit from a return to traditional gender roles,” only 24% of respondents aged 18-29 “somewhat” or “strongly” agreed. In contrast, older age cohorts seemed roughly aligned on the question, with “agree” numbers between 41% and 46% for the millennial, Gen X and Boomer cohorts.
In a cultural moment obsessed with unsavory “manosphere” characters like Andrew Tate and Clavicular, it’s easy to assume that Gen Z men have been sucked into a far-right, misogynist worldview. While these figures have impressive follower counts and receive anxious media attention, they aren’t necessarily moving the needle on young male opinion.
Headlines warn of a hard-right shift among young men. But the Argument’s survey suggests a less dramatic reality. Young American men are still overwhelmingly left-wing, and they have more in common politically with women of their own generation than older men. They’re not falling en masse for Donald Trump or manosphere propaganda.
Gen Z men have one key thing in common with previous generations: Growing older is the thing most likely to make them more conservative.
Ms. Camp is senior newsletter editor at Free Expression.
 | A guest post by
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When in modern history have Concerned Adults not been wringing their hands at something teen boys and young men are doing?
Young men are silly, rebellious and often offensive. When in doubt, just leave them be and laugh with them instead of making them feel bad, boys are usually just trying to have fun.
It is possible to be both left-wing leaning and manosphere radical. One does not negate the other.