Who Are the Young Men Who Regret Their Trump Vote?

According to most available data, Trump’s approval ratings are dropping across the electorate. Young men tell a similar story. According to Young Men Research Project’s (YMRP) latest polling, the president’s approval among 18-29-year-old men fell from 44-47 approve-disapprove (-3) in May 2025 to 40-52 approve-disapprove (-12) this November. A key demographic that once supported Donald Trump by a +5 margin now disapproves of him by a -12 margin.

This decline has been smaller among 2024 Trump voters. In May 2025, Trump-voting young men approved of the president by 79-18 (+61 on net), down to 77-21 (+56 on net) as of November.

But even among those who still “approve,” the strength of support has diminished. Trump’s 79 percent approval back in May included 48 percent of Trump voters who “strongly” approved of him and 31 percent who “somewhat” approved of him. This trend has reversed: 36 percent of Trump voters now approve “strongly” of him, while 41 percent approve only “somewhat.”

Who are the “Trump regretters,” the young men who voted for Trump but now disapprove of him? Digging through the crosstabs of YMRP's latest poll, key ideological and behavioral differences emerge.

Trump has lost half his Independent supporters.

Fully 52 percent of Independent young men who voted for Trump now disapprove of him, compared to just 7 percent of young Republicans. Trump regretters disproportionately cite the cost of education as a top five concern (24 percent vs. 14 percent of Trump voters overall) and income inequality (24 percent compared to 14 percent). On the other hand, those sticking with Trump disproportionately say immigration is a top concern (32 percent vs. 18 percent of Trump regretters).

The results also suggest Trump regretters are slightly less likely to share right-wing views on matters of sex and gender. The differences aren’t large—many continue to hold troubling views on gender roles—but the differences are statistically robust.

By about roughly 15 to 25 percentage point margins, Trump regretters are less likely than Trump supporters to agree with statements like:

• “Feminism is about favoring women over men.”

• “Guys can have their reputations destroyed just for speaking their minds these days.”

• “These days, society looks down on men who are masculine.”

• “Things are generally better when men bring in money and women take care of the home and kids.”

Trump regretters also disagree with several key Trump policies. The largest differences between regretters and supporters were on policies like:

• Reducing federal funding for scientific research in America’s public universities, i.e., reduce taxpayer spending on scientific research that happens at universities

• Allowing the President to fire federal employees for any reason without waiting on changes to the budget passed by Congress

• Allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain anyone they suspect of being eligible for deportation, regardless of citizenship status or criminal background

On these policies, regretters are closer to Kamala Harris voters than Trump voters.

Why do so many young men who voted for Trump disapprove of his signature policies? Regretters and supporters follow the news at similar rates (42 percent say they pay attention “most of the time”) and consume it at similar levels on platforms like YouTube, X, Fox, and local radio. But regretters are also more likely to get news from national networks (22 percent versus 12 percent) and virtually none frequent far-right platforms like Truth Social, which about 5 to 10 percent of Trump supporters still use. Thus, regretters may be more exposed to coverage of the impacts of Trump’s most deleterious policies.

But these topline similarities likely mask an ocean of difference in how these groups consume content on YouTube. Young Men Research Initiative is building out its social listening capacity precisely to explore this question in greater detail.

Trump has little chance of winning future converts

In addition to losing support among Trump voters, Republicans currently have few opportunities elsewhere among young men. Trump is deeply unpopular among young men who were registered but didn’t vote in 2024: fully 64 percent disapprove, and 31 percent approve (we note with caution: this does not contribute to the ongoing debate as to which side would’ve won non-voters in 2024, particularly noting these survey results were weighted to include post-election vote choice targets). About 90 percent of young men who voted Democratic in 2024 disapprove of the president—a solid wall for a lame duck incumbent. While a significant chunk of Trump voters are having buyer’s remorse, little of the opposition has come around.

Young men are no exception to Trump’s sinking popularity. Among this demographic, regretters continue to worry about rising costs, and are less concerned with immigration. Though not exactly progressive on “cultural” matters, they’re not as conservative as continued Trump supporters, and they disproportionately disapprove of the president’s key policies.

These results suggest opportunities for Democrats to connect with voters whose concerns are unaddressed by the party in charge, and challenges for Republicans now tied to these deeply unpopular policies. But these young men still hold troubling views on sex and gender (among other issues)— hot-button issues Republicans excel at activating come election time. YMRI’s social listening efforts are monitoring Democratic efforts to “break through” by participating in the media spaces young men are tuned into. These efforts will make or break the party’s ability to win over voters in 2026 and beyond.