Featured Data October 31, 2024

Why young people feel misunderstood by the opposite sex

Survey Center Staff

Surveys show a growing gap emerging between young men and women. But the gender divide is not simply about politics, but a more fundamental misunderstanding. Our most recent survey revealed that only 42 percent of young men believe young women understand the problems men face in American society. Similarly, a majority (72 percent) of young women feel young men don’t understand their struggles. To better understand why so many young men and women feel misunderstood we decided to ask them to share their views, in their own words. 

In September, the Survey Center on American in conjunction with Ipsos conducted a series of focus groups in Philadelphia, PA with over four dozen young people The topics ranged from dating and relationships to social media use and politics. At the end of each session, we asked young men to write down a short response to the following question: “What do you wish young women understood about what it’s like to be a young man today?” We asked young women the same question about young men. 

Among the responses we received, men tended to reflect on the pressures they face to adapt to a changing society, as well as the common feeling of being misunderstood and alone. One respondent, Mark, lamented, “There’s a lot of pressure for men to succeed and be a provider, but there’s not always much support for them emotionally/mentally.” Another participant, Danny, added, “As a man you get no sympathy from the world, nobody is coming to save you.” Most of the women, on the other hand, emphasized personal safety concerns. One woman, Sandy, remarked, “Most women can’t leave the house without getting cat called,” while another woman went further to say, “Men treat us like prey!”