More than half of millennial and Gen Z women find it a relationship red flag if a partner listens to “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and refuses to see the “Barbie” movie, according to the results of a wide-ranging new poll that revealed that young women are overall more liberal than men.
Change Research, a Bay Area-based polling firm, surveyed 1,033 registered voters between ages 18 and 34 to ask them about their political leanings, dating preferences, the upcoming presidential election, the economy and cultural trends.
The research revealed that 55% of women found it a turnoff for a partner to listen to “The Joe Rogan Experience” while 53% said it was offputting for a love interest to refuse to see Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster “Barbie.”
The biggest red flag for young women, however, was for a potential partner to identify as a MAGA Republican, with more than three-quarters (76%) of those polled admitting this would make them want to run for the hills.
Other notable red flags among women are partners who have no hobbies, say “All Lives Matter,” say there are only two genders and that they are so unbothered, they never ask for details.
When it comes to millennial and Gen Z men, the biggest turnoff was a potential date identifying as a Communist, with almost two-thirds (64%) of the young men surveyed signaling it as a red flag. However, more than half (59%) also agreed it was offputting for a partner to identify as a MAGA Republican.
Other major turnoffs for men include having no hobbies (60%), being interested in astrology (41%) and saying “Black Lives Matter.”
As for green flags in partners, 95% of women and 91% of men want a partner who reads.
Women also favor would-be romantic partners who research the best deals before buying, say “Black Lives Matter,” look better in person, take candid pictures, and identify as liberal.
Men likewise prefer prospective partners who look better in person and research for the best deals — but they also look more favorably on people who say there are only two genders and own a gun.
Other green flags among men include partners who prefer cow milk over non-dairy milk, are not on social media, and identify as conservatives.
The difference in dating preferences lines up with the difference in political leanings among young men and women.
The research revealed that millennial and Gen Z women lean further to the left than young men, with 41% of women surveyed identifying as politically progressive, compared to just 24% of men.
Eleven percent of men say they support Donald Trump’s “MAGA” politics, while only 3% of women do.
The polling also shed light on significant differences in men and women’s cultural preferences, with men flocking to conservative podcasts like “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and women tuning in to the more left-leaning “The Daily” by the New York Times and Ira Glass’ “This American Life.”
When asked about their thoughts on the movie “Barbie” — one-half of the “Barbenheimer” moviegoing phenomenon — 31% of all survey respondents opined that the flick starring Margot Robbie is feminist, while only 2% deemed it sexist. Nearly half of those polled (47%) said it was “just a movie.”
On a more serious note, young voters, regardless of their educational background, have a very bleak perception of how things are going in the US, with only 4% of respondents believing that the country is on the right track.
A majority of young people are not confident that they will be able to own a home, retire, have an emergency fund that could sustain them for three months, start a business, or have as many children as they want.
Significant numbers of survey respondents are not confident they will ever be able to stop living paycheck to paycheck, go on a vacation once a year, buy whatever they want at the grocery store, afford nice clothes, or have a reliable car.
The Supreme Court’s decision to block President Biden’s student debt relief plan is a major economic stressor for the many young Americans burdened with student debt, a decision that is opposed by 65% of millennial and Gen Z voters.
The vast majority (79%) of the younger generations polled say they are definitely going to vote in the 2024 election.
If the elections were held today, and Biden was being challenged by Trump, the Democratic incumbent would get 58% of the millennial and Gen Z vote, compared to 30% for the MAGA Republican.
Forty-three percent of young male voters say they would vote for Biden and 41% for Trump. Among women, the split is 65% for Biden and 25% for Trump.
GOP primary contender Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis polled slightly better with men, 43% of whom said they would support him over Biden at the ballot box if the elections were held today.
But DeSantis fared poorly among female voters, with only 23% saying they would back him.
NEWS CREDIT
