The Masculine Appeal in Political Choices

We are kicking things off with a topic Amy has been fascinated by - the gender divide in American politics and why it’s so pronounced among Gen Z.

In the past, young voters have reliably supported the Democratic candidate for president, regardless of gender. Just four years ago, a majority of both young men and young women voted for Joe Biden.

But in 2024 the picture looked different.

A majority of young women did support Kamala Harris. But a majority of young men cast their vote for Donald Trump. In fact, 56% of young men voted for Trump compared to only 4% of young women.

None of this was a surprise to Daniel Cox, our guest today. He’s been watching this gender divergence unfold for years now, and he says it’s happening on so many levels: that gender informs Gen Z’s views on a range of issues from social, to culture to, of course, political.

So Amy wanted to talk to him about why this is, will it last, and what's making this cohort so different from previous generations.

Daniel Cox is Director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Uncoupled, which will focus on the growing gender gap in American society. He also writes the Substack American Storylines.

To learn more about The Cook Political Report go to: www.cookpolitical.com/subscribe