New data show partisan divide between young men and women widening as women shift toward Democrats

The political divide between young American men and women has continued to widen since 2024, driven largely by women under 30 shifting toward the Democratic Party, according to an Aug. 6 analysis of new Pew Research Center data. 

Sixty-six percent of women ages 18 to 29 identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 44% of men in the same age group, pollster Daniel Cox wrote in his American Storylines newsletter. Young men were more evenly divided, with 49% identifying with or leaning toward the GOP, and 44% aligning with Democrats. Among young women, only 27% identified as or leaned Republican. 

The figures — drawn from Pew’s 2026 National Public Opinion Reference Survey, conducted from Jan. 30 to June 18 among 5,511 U.S. adults — amount to a 44-point difference in the groups’ net partisan alignment. Young women favor Democrats by 39 points, while young men favor Republicans by 5.

Cox, director of the Survey on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute, argued that the results show the political distance between young men and women has increased, rather than receded, since the 2024 election. 

President Donald Trump made gains among both young men and women in that election, prompting speculation that the gender divide among young voters might be narrowing, Cox wrote. Pew’s party-affiliation data from 2024 showed young women nearly evenly divided, with 47% aligned with Democrats and 44% with Republicans.

But the latest findings indicate that the 2024 shift among young women did not develop into an enduring partisan realignment, Cox argued. He noted that Democratic affiliation among women under 30 rose 19 percentage points between 2024 and 2026, while Republican affiliation fell 17 points. 

Young men’s political alignment changed less dramatically over the same period. The Republican share declined from 53% in 2024 to 49% in 2026, while the Democratic share edged down from 45% to 44%. Compared with 2020, however, Republican identification among young men has risen from 40% to 49%, while Democratic identification has fallen from 50% to 44%.

Cox said the divide represents a departure from the longstanding assumption that younger Americans of both sexes tended to be more liberal and Democratic than older generations. Pew found no significant age differences in partisan alignment among men: Men in every age group were more likely to favor Republicans than Democrats. Among women, however, those under 50 were more Democratic than older women.

Cox argued that no single issue or political figure — including Trump, abortion, feminism, or concerns about gender inequality — can fully explain the gap. Instead, he attributed it in part to a growing tendency among young people to view political and social life through their experiences as men or women.

“More than previous generations, they have come to believe they will be treated unfairly for being a man or woman,” Cox wrote. “This is a perspective that can quickly engender feelings of resentment and mutual recrimination. Suffering, both real and perceived, quickly leads to finger-pointing and blaming. We have reached a moment when both young men and women feel unappreciated and overlooked.”

He pointed to a recent survey of teenagers that found 55% of boys believed girls received preferential treatment at their schools. Thirty-seven percent of girls agreed. At the same time, Cox argued that more girls now “believe the world is a perilous place” and see men as a large reason for this.

“These feelings of grievance may have completely legitimate origins, emerging through lived experiences or filtered through curated media channels,” Cox wrote, “but they are also easily manipulated by self-interested politicians and online grifters.”

Cox described the findings as a starting point for understanding the widening divide, writing that the research “offers a sense of where things stand” and provides a “welcome opportunity to engage our curiosity.”

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