The makeup of the Democratic Party has changed profoundly in recent years. In 1998, a majority (77 percent) of Democrats did not have a college or postgraduate degree. More than two decades later, the party’s composition has shifted dramatically, with college-educated and non-college-educated Democrats now evenly split at 50 percent.  This growing education divide is reshaping the party’s voter base, policy priorities, and political identity. One-third of the Democratic Party consists of college-educated women, a group that is consistently more progressive than most others. As the Democratic Party continues to prioritize the interests of college-educated women, they may alienate non-college-educated Americans, especially men.

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.

The 2024 election revealed major weaknesses in the Democratic Party’s coalition. Young voters, a reliable Democratic constituency for the last two decades, backed Harris over Trump by a relatively narrow margin. According to AP VoteCast, Donald Trump lost the youth vote by only 4 points (47 vs. 51 percent), driven by his strong showing among young male voters. But rather than revealing a new fault line, the 2024 election reflected the growing gender divergence in youth political identity.