Why Young Men Are Turning On Trump (Or Sticking With Him), In Their Own Words

Economic changes and extreme policies have caused a small share of 2024 voters to break from the President

In the latest Young Men Research Project (YMRP) poll, conducted by YouGov from May 14 to May 29, U.S. men ages 18-29 were asked how they feel about key political figures. As of late May, Donald Trump’s approval among young men is evenly split: 44 percent approve and 44 percent disapprove. The share of “strongly approve” is lower than the share of “strongly disapprove” (25 percent vs 32 percent). However, compared to publicly available polling of other subgroups and the electorate overall, a 44-44 split is slightly better for Trump than other groups. Among young men who voted in 2024, his favorability is nearly identical: 49 percent favorable, 48 percent unfavorable (+1 net).

Still, Trump’s standing with young men has slipped since the election. According to Catalist’s What Happened analysis, Trump won young male voters by about 54-46. The YouGov sample was weighted to match Catalist’s turnout targets, reflecting a Trump +5 electorate: 34 percent said they voted for Trump, 29 percent for Harris, 1 percent for a third party, and 36 percent did not vote. In other words, a small share of young men who supported Trump in November no longer view him favorably.

Credit: Gage Skidmore (CC 2.0)

The poll asked respondents to explain why. The data is limited: only forty respondents who said they voted for Trump in 2024 now view him unfavorably, out of a sample of just over a thousand (approximately four percent of the total sample and seven percent of Trump’s 2024 voters). If respondents said they viewed Donald Trump unfavorably, YouGov asked them directly:

“You mentioned you had an unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump. Why is that the case? Please say as much or as little as you would like.”

Responses typically fell into two clear themes:

• Trump’s economic actions have personally hurt the respondent.

• Trump is not the leader they believe they voted for.

Some illustrative responses:

• "The garnishment of wages for student loans" - 26-year-old White respondent, currently in college

• "I don't like what he is doing with the migrants, I don't like what he is doing with the universities, I don't like the fees he has implemented, and inflation remains the same." - 29-year-old Latino respondent with a high school diploma, whose top issue was inflation

• "He's done nothing that he told voters he was gonna do" - 28-year-old White respondent with a high school diploma, who identifies as ideologically conservative

• "He’s changed." - 25-year-old Black respondent currently in college, who identifies as ideologically moderate

• "He’s become a moron recently." - 26-year-old White respondent with a partial college degree, who identifies as ideologically moderate

• "Too many controversial policy changes" - 23-year-old Black respondent currently in college, who identifies as ideologically moderate

Though a small segment, their responses are remarkably consistent: Trump’s actions have personally harmed the respondent or, more commonly, he has simply become too extreme. As we’ve suggested before, don’t overthink it - Trump will likely lose support as he becomes more extreme.

Even with some slippage, the majority of those who voted for Trump still view him favorably. His current favorability among this group is +69, 83-14. These voters have fairly consistent reasons for continuing to support Trump, too:

• Even if they don’t agree with him, he is perceived to be taking action, unlike other politicians.

• He is blunt and relatable.

Some “typical examples” (i.e., some responses that used the common set of words or ideas across the sample):

• "[B]ecause even though he is fucking a lot of things up I feel like he’s done way more than Joe Biden did all 4 years" - 24-year-old Latino respondent who identifies as ideologically moderate

• "I respect him as a person" - 24-year-old White respondent who identifies as ideologically moderate

• "He gets stuff done and keeps his promises. He runs the country like a business and that’s what we need" - 23-year-old White respondent, ideologically very conservative

• "I do believe he does have the Americans best interest at hand due to his words and a [lot] of his actions. He is also blunt and straightforward in most cases." - 26-year-old Black respondent who identifies as conservative

• "I don't like him as a person but as a politician he is very good and has [the] right intentions to get things done for America..." - 24-year-old White respondent who identifies as moderate

• "I think Donald Trump is a very active and productive president. He is constantly taking action, but sometimes I disagree with those actions" - 22-year-old Middle Eastern respondent who identifies as moderate

• "It has sort of flipped back [and] forth but currently he is doing what he said and overall is achieving results. I don’t agree with everything but as a net opinion I lean towards being favorable." - 20-year-old White respondent who identifies as moderate

• "He’s real and is funny." - 24-year-old White respondent who identifies as moderate

Though respondents were often glib about why they supported Trump (“I am a Republican,” “I like him,” “I am a conservative and he is a conservative,” etc.), the consistent themes among both current and former supporters are illustrative.

The young men who’ve soured on Trump have been personally affected by his policies and/or believe he has changed or lied about his plans as President. Those who stick with the president repeatedly emphasize that Trump does something, even when they disagree with specific decisions. They readily acknowledge his personality flaws but don’t consider his “bluntness” to be one of them.

We will be tracking a few key questions moving forward:

Why don’t more young men feel the President’s policies are impacting their lives? What are those issues that would tip the scales? For example, the poll found that young men remain deeply pessimistic about the current and future state of the economy. Should conditions worsen, it’s reasonable to expect more will feel personally affected. The question remains if and how this will change their perception of the President.

Stay tuned for more content on this area in the next few months.