Young men could change Pennsylvania based on gender and age differences

In the key state of Pennsylvania, the gender and age gap in polling shows trends reminiscent of the 2020 election.

Four years ago, Mr. President Joe Biden he won Pennsylvania by less than two percentage points. However, voters under 30 voted for a Democrat instead of the former president Donald Trump by 27 points.

According to A CBS Poll conducted October 22–28, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris Trump drives, she Republican challenger aged 65-33 among Pennsylvania voters under 30. Meanwhile, Trump holds a 56-42 advantage among all male voters in the Keystone State.

Average of the last three New York Times/Siena College surveys, conducted from September to October show that Trump led Harris among young men nationwide by 21 points (58% to 37%).

Meanwhile, Harris has a 39-point lead among young women (67% to 28%), but is struggling to surpass the former president’s margin with young men.

On the eve of election day, Newsweek spoke to four young men in Lehigh County, USA key swing state of Pennsylvania.

Two Muhlenberg College students wouldn’t say who they voted for, while another student was for Harris, even attending her Monday rally at the private college in Allentown. One of the high school students talked about it Newsweek that he didn’t plan to vote.

“I think everything about this election has been overblown,” said Conor, a Muhlenberg College student who, along with his friend Jake, did not share their voting decision.

Ian Neubauer, 18-year-old high school student William Allen, said Monday he did not plan to vote.

“There are different opinions about the election,” said Neubauer, who attended the recent Trump rally and Harris’ rally in Muhlenberg. – I’m just trying to listen.

Matan Dolev, a 22-year-old Muhlenberg student, attended Harris’ rally and spoke about it Newsweek, – We need to employ her in the office.

“Honestly, I’m not too worried,” Dolev said. “A lot of people are talking about it, but I think we’ll move on.”

A survey conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School among 18- to 29-year-olds September also found a 10-point gender gap: Trump received 38% support from young men compared to 28% from young women, while Harris’ support was 49% among men and 59% among women.

Additionally, a poll conducted by the Alliance for Black Equality between October 15 and 19 found that 35 percent of Gen Z black men support Trump – the highest among black voters surveyed.

Sarah Longwell, publisher Bulwark, said the gender gap this election cycle it’s not just about hot topics like abortion and Trump’s temperament. Longwell said piecemeal media diets are particularly common among younger voters, especially those aged 18 to 29. According to her, media personalities who appeal to all genders play an important role.

“Young men’s voices can be decisive in a very tight election,” said Jackson Katz, co-founder of the Young Men’s Research Initiative Newsweek. “There are huge gender gaps among younger voters; young women overwhelmingly support Harris. Young men also support it, but in much smaller percentages.”

For Katz, the appeal of Trump and his campaign to young men lies in his identity-based campaign strategy.

“The Trump campaign’s main strategy for men – especially, but not exclusively, white men – is to appeal to identity. They want to reinforce the belief that “real men vote for Republicans,” he said.

Election day is tomorrow. Follow the current Newsweek blog latest updates.

Follow Newsweek’s Monika Sager on Twitter @monicasager3 for more election updates from the key swing state of Pennsylvania.