The young men and women of Gen Z have drastically different definitions of personal success depending on their gender and who they voted for in the 2024 presidential election, a new NBC poll found.
The NBC News Decision Desk Poll, conducted among 2,970 adults aged 18-29 from Aug. 13 to Sept. 1, found that young men who voted for President Donald Trump said their top indicator of personal success is having children. According to Geiger Capital on X, 34% of young men said having children is their top priority in achieving personal success.
Young women who voted for Trump ranked children as sixth on a list of 13 definitions of success, opting instead to put “achieving financial independence” as their highest indicator of personal success. Young women who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris ranked children as 12th most important on the list, while men who voted for Harris placed children in 10th position.
The poll found that marriage also was deeply polarizing. According to Geiger Capital, 29% of young male Trump voters said marriage was important to their personal definitions of success. Marriage was ranked fourth of 13 among men who voted for Trump. Both female Trump voters and male Harris voters ranked marriage as ninth on the list. Female Harris voters ranked it in 11th place, with just 6% saying being married contributes to their views of personal success.
Female Trump voters were most likely to say that achieving financial independence, having a fulfilling job or career, and owning a home were indicators of personal success. Those who voted for Harris, both male and female, were focused on having fulfilling jobs and having enough money to do the things they wanted to do. Female Harris voters also prioritized emotional stability while male Harris voters valued using their talents and resources to help others.
The poll also analyzed Gen Z’s definitions of personal success, breaking down the responses solely by gender. This time, both young men and women had the same top three priorities: having a fulfilling job, having enough money to do what they wanted to do, and achieving financial independence.
“The results fit with broad concerns about the cost of living: 4 in 10 young adults said inflation and the rising cost of living is the economic matter most important to them,” NBC News reported.
Both genders also placed owning a home in sixth position. Once again, however, men were more likely to prioritize being married and having children, ranking them seventh and eighth, respectively. Women put having children in 10th position and placed marriage in 11th.
Men and women agreed on what was least important to their definitions of personal success, with both placing “being able to retire early” and “fame and influence” at the bottom of the list.