First of its kind national poll of men finds men are hopeful; clearly link family to masculinity; and nearly universally support a host of family policies, including paid leave and affordable care.
Washington, D.C. — In a first of its kind national poll of men, Paid Leave for All, Caring Across Generations, and Community Change surveyed men in America on the state of the country, the ways they define masculinity, and what family policies motivate them. In spite of headlines about men in crisis and a growing manosphere, the poll found that men in America are hopeful; they clearly link family to their masculinity; and nearly universally support a host of federal family policies, including more than 90% in favor of paid leave, affordable child care, and affordable long-term care for aging and disabled family members, some of the highest polling numbers ever reported on these issues.
The survey reached 1,000 male registered voters nationwide with additional oversamples of dads, Black, Hispanic, AAPI, and Gen Z men.
“Men aren’t all MAGA incels or podcast bros. Millions of us care about care and will fight for real policies and investments that allow us to be there for our families — until we win,” noted Dorian Warren, Co-President of Community Change.
Paid Leave for All founding director Dawn Huckelbridge commented, “Based on pockets of the internet, you would think that an anti-government, anti-care, toxic masculine mood was growing. This study found the inverse — men across party lines overwhelmingly want government policies that allow them to be actively involved in their families, and this is connected to their idea of masculinity, not contrary to it. Policies like paid leave and affordable care are fundamental to our security and dignity. Men are looking for leaders who put their families’ needs first.”
According to Caring Across Generations executive director Ai-jen Poo, “These results highlight the experiences of caregiving men, and in doing so, challenge the cultural barriers that leave men out of the growing conversation around care in the United States. Every day, millions of men are caring for their children and family members; they see care as a crucial part of their masculinity and identity; and they deserve the community, support, and investment that will make it easier for them to care for the people they love.“
Key findings also include:
Despite common media narratives suggesting otherwise, American men generally report feeling hopeful, secure, and proud, rather than frustrated and angry. Roughly 7-in-10 men report feeling hopeful, secure, or proud on a weekly basis, including a majority of men who report feeling hopeful on a daily basis. By contrast, far fewer men identify with feeling frustrated and angry. Notably, dads (defined here as men with at least one child under the age of 18) are more likely than their non-dad counterparts to report feeling hopeful (63% daily), secure (54%), and proud (53%), rather than frustrated (36%) or angry (22%).
Providing for and protecting one’s family are core to what it means to be “masculine.” Providing for their family (65% extremely important) and supporting their family emotionally and financially (58%) are top priorities for American dads, even more than being recognized for their hard work and sacrifices (32%), advancing their careers (33%), being respected by others (36%), and enjoying life to the fullest (45%). Most men, especially dads, say that supporting his family financially (80% among men overall, 84% among dads) and taking care of his kids (76% and 83%) make a man more masculine, even more than say the same of working a full-time job (71% and 76%).
Men are equally concerned about the health of their families and keeping up with costs and affordability. “The health of my family,” (50% extremely or very concerned, 25% extremely concerned), “my family’s financial situation” (47%, 25%), and “being able to provide for my family” (46%, 25%) top men’s lists of concerns. By comparison, far fewer men are concerned about “being judged for what I say or do” (26%, 11%), “not feeling seen or heard in society” (22%, 9%), or “being judged for not being ‘man enough’” (19%, 9%).
As a value, family takes precedence over masculinity. When provided a list of values, men rank “family” at the top (85% important personally, 60% extremely important personally) while ranking more traditionally male values like strength (73%, 37%) and masculinity (47%, 24%) far lower.
Men are looking to government for solutions that enable them to care for their families. More than half of men (52%) believe the government has not done enough to ensure men are able to support themselves and their families. This includes half of dads (51%), most Gen Z men (64%), most Black men (61%), most Hispanic/Latino men (57%), most independent men (55%), and even a plurality of Republican men (41%).
There is nearly universal support for a host of care policies. Men from all walks of life, especially dads, support care policies. More than 90% of men — including supermajorities of independents and Republicans — support affordable long-term care, affordable childcare, and paid leave for all workers. They want to see their elected officials focus on solutions that would enable them to care for their families.
Advancing care policies is beneficial to elected officials of both parties. Across party lines, male voters say they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports care policies ranging from paid leave, affordable childcare, and affordable long-term care for aging and disabled family members, among others. Clearly, this is an important step to winning male voters.
Find the full memo here.