What The Hell America!

A growing gender divide among Gen Z is reshaping the political landscape, with young men and women increasingly split on everything from Trump to TikTok.

An NBC News Stay Tuned poll, powered by SurveyMonkey, shows that debates over President Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, immigration, and the state of the country have created the most division between Gen Z men and women.

In an overall poll among all adults, 45% approve of Trump’s job performance and 55% disapprove. When narrowing the range to adults between the ages of 18 and 29, the gap widens, with 34% approving and 64% disapproving. When you break these numbers down between men and women, you find that 45% of young men approve of the Trump presidency, compared to only 24% of young women. That is a 21-point difference.

For other generations, there is still a gap between men and women, but it is nowhere near as large. Among adults older than 65, the difference is 13 points. For those between the ages of 45 and 64, the difference is 9 points, and for those between the ages of 30 and 44, the difference is only 7 points.

When it comes to Elon Musk, there is even greater disagreement. While only 41% of the adult U.S. population finds Musk favorable compared to 59% who find him unfavorable, 41% of Gen Z men view Musk favorably, compared to only 20% of Gen Z women.

Gen Z women are also more likely to identify as Democrats — 52% of Gen Z women call themselves Democrats compared to only 30% of Gen Z men. Meanwhile, 38% of Gen Z men identify as Republican compared to 20% of Gen Z women.

Not only are political ideologies different, but policy priorities also differ significantly. The economy is the top priority for the largest number of Gen Z men, while for Gen Z women, it is the current threats to democracy. Interestingly, Gen Z women are more likely to consider TikTok their favorite news source, while Gen Z men favor YouTube.

With the numbers found in this study, it is important to note that women in the U.S. are outpacing men in college completion across every major racial and ethnic group. Today, 47% of women ages 25 to 34 have a bachelor’s degree compared to 37% of men. These numbers have increased by 22 percentage points since 1995.

As the younger generation of progressive women continues to grow and outpace men in higher education attainment, the impact on future elections could be significant. This shift comes at a time when the Trump administration is working to reinforce traditional gender roles, encouraging women to stay home with children and men to serve as primary breadwinners. However, if men increasingly lack the educational credentials needed for high-paying jobs while women surpass them academically, this agenda may face serious practical challenges. 

Additionally, efforts by the administration to incentivize women to have more children represent a broader attempt to exert control over women’s bodies and lives. Yet, the growing political engagement of liberal young women, combined with broad opposition across genders and age groups to Trump-era policies, offers a promising sign for the future direction of the country.