Cygnal for The Lafayette Company · Released November 3, 2025
Exclusive Polling
Cygnal, a FiveThirtyEight and New York Times top-rated pollster, released a landmark survey of 1,000 males ages 16 to 28 performed in October 2025 as a part of the inaugural Symposium on Young American Men.
1,000
Men surveyed
Aged 16 to 28, nationwide
48%
Positive mental health
Among men who exercise regularly
23%
Positive mental health
Among men who never exercise
25 pts
The gap
One habit, half the cohort apart
Fielded October 22–26, 2025 · margin of error ±3.01% · population Males aged 16–28 in the United States
The breakdown
How different factors affect mental well-being
Every crosstab segment, placed by the share who rate their own mental health Excellent or Good.
Highest
- Grad College54%
- Fraternity-Affiliated53%
- Regular Religion52%
Lowest
- Never Exercise23%
- Irregular Exercise30%
- No Religion32%
Each dot is one of the 40 crosstab segments, placed by the share rating their own mental health Excellent or Good. Vertical position carries no meaning; dots are stacked only so they do not overlap. Hover or tap a dot to name it.
What separates them
Habits, not demographics
Age, race and party barely move this question. What does move it is what a young man actually does with his week.
Exercise
25 pt gap
Fraternity
21 pt gap
Education
21 pt gap
Faith
20 pt gap
Screen time
16 pt gap
Age
4 pt gap
Share rating their own mental health Excellent or Good. The blue end of each row is the first-named group, the red end the second. All rows share one scale, so a longer bar is a genuinely wider gap.
Main findings
Same age, same country, different outcomes
Pick two segments and compare how they rate their own mental health. Start from a preset, or build your own comparison.
Regular Exercise
48%
Positive mental health
20%
Negative mental health
Never Exercise
23%
Positive mental health
40%
Negative mental health
Regular Exercise report positive mental health 25 points above Never Exercise: 48% versus 23%. The national figure is 40.5%.
- Excellent16%10%
- Good32%13%
- Fair31%31%
- Poor14%19%
- Very poor6%20%
- Unsure1%7%
View as table
| Rating | Regular Exercise | Never Exercise |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 16% | 10% |
| Good | 32% | 13% |
| Fair | 31% | 31% |
| Poor | 14% | 19% |
| Very poor | 6% | 20% |
| Unsure | 1% | 7% |
Question asked: “Personally speaking, how would you rate your own overall mental health?” · Cygnal deck p.31
Every topline
All 22 questions
Each question has its own page with the full breakdown, a data table, and CSV and JSON downloads.
Mental health
Peer Mental Health Rating
How would you rate the overall mental health of young men your age?
- Excellent8.4%
- Good17.1%
- Fair34.2%
- Poor29.3%
- Very poor8%
- Unsure3%
Personal Mental Health Rating
Personally speaking, how would you rate your own overall mental health?
- Excellent14%
- Good26.5%
- Fair33%
- Poor15.2%
- Very poor9.2%
- Unsure2%
Who They Turn To In A Crisis
If you were facing a personal non-physical crisis or emergency, who or what would you most likely turn to for support?
- Family members31.9%
- No one, I'd handle it on my own19.8%
- Friends17.6%
- Mental health professional7.9%
- AI, like ChatGPT7.3%
- Teacher, coach, or mentor4.5%
- Unsure4.5%
- Religious leader3.5%
- Online community or forum3%
Mental Health Since 2020
Compared to before 2020 and the pandemic, do you feel your mental health has improved, worsened, or stayed the same?
- Worsened41.2%
- Improved34.8%
- Stayed the same21.4%
- Unsure2.7%
Connection
Social Engagement Since 2020
Compared to before 2020 and the pandemic, how would you describe your current level of in-person social engagement?
- I am less socially engaged than before35.8%
- I am about as socially engaged as five years ago32.8%
- I am more socially engaged now26.7%
- Unsure4.7%
Close Friends
How many close friends do you have, friends you can rely on and contact anytime, even if it's been a while?
- None10.7%
- 1 to 237.2%
- 3 to 537.2%
- 6 or more12%
- Unsure3%
In-Person Social Hours
On average, how many hours per week do you spend in-person with friends or participating in social activities?
- Less than 1 hour14.3%
- 1 to 5 hours33.5%
- 6 to 10 hours28.2%
- 11 to 20 hours13.2%
- More than 20 hours6.2%
- Unsure4.6%
Digital life
Hours Online Daily
On average, how many hours per day do you spend online, including social media, streaming, gaming and browsing?
- Less than 1 hour2.8%
- 1 to 2 hours14.4%
- 3 to 4 hours29.8%
- 5 to 6 hours23.6%
- More than 6 hours26.9%
- Unsure2.5%
Gaming Frequency
How often do you play video games?
- Daily or almost daily, 2 or more hours35.7%
- A few times a week21.2%
- Daily or almost daily, less than 2 hours17.7%
- A few times a month10.5%
- I've played, but not regularly8.5%
- I don't play video games5%
- Unsure1.4%
AI Use
How often do you use generative AI chat conversations, like ChatGPT, for things like search, advice, ideas or decision-making?
- Occasionally28.8%
- Never21.5%
- Weekly21.4%
- Daily16.1%
- Monthly9.8%
- Unsure2.4%
Sports Betting
How often do you gamble or wager on sports, including online sports betting?
- I don't gamble or wager on sports49%
- I've gambled or wagered, but not regularly11.7%
- Only on special occasions10.6%
- A few times a month10.2%
- A few times a week8.7%
- Daily or almost daily6.8%
- Unsure3.1%
Adult Content
How often do you come across or intentionally view adult sexual content online?
- Occasionally28.2%
- Weekly21.7%
- Daily17.9%
- Never16.4%
- Monthly9.2%
- Unsure6.7%
YouTube Hours Daily
On average, how many hours per day do you spend on YouTube?
- Less than 1 hour14.4%
- 1 to 2 hours27.4%
- 3 to 4 hours28.5%
- 5 to 6 hours15.9%
- More than 6 hours11.4%
- Unsure2.5%
Belonging
Mentorship
Do you have a male mentor or role model who is a regular influence in your life?
- Yes, I have a male mentor or role model53%
- No, I don't have a male mentor40.1%
- Unsure6.8%
Fraternity Membership
Are you or have you ever been a member of a college or university-affiliated fraternity?
- Yes21%
- No73.6%
- Unsure5.3%
Do Men-Only Groups Help?
Do you agree or disagree that being part of a men-only group or organization helps young men grow personally?
- Agree54.5%
- Neither24.5%
- Disagree14.4%
- Unsure6.6%
Joining a Faith-Based Group
How likely are you to join a faith-based organization?
- Likely46.1%
- Unlikely38.1%
- Already a member of a faith-based organization7.1%
- Unsure8.8%
Life & work
Personal Top Priority
Personally speaking, which do you consider to be your top priority right now?
- Financial stability27.2%
- Mental health17.2%
- Career or job advancement12.2%
- Education or academic success11.8%
- Physical health8.9%
- Family responsibilities6.7%
- Romantic relationships5.5%
- Social life or friendships5.3%
- Unsure5.2%
Biggest Challenge Facing Young Men
What do you think is the biggest issue facing young men today?
- Financial stress or economic uncertainty23.4%
- Mental health struggles20.6%
- Social isolation or loneliness9.7%
- Lack of mentorship or guidance8.8%
- Unclear sense of identity or purpose8.5%
- Pressure to meet societal expectations7.1%
- Difficulty forming meaningful relationships6.3%
- Substance use or addiction6%
- Lack of community or belonging5.4%
- Unsure4.2%
Life Direction
Is your life going the way you expected or envisioned it would go?
- Yes50.2%
- No46.4%
- Unsure3.5%
Exercise Frequency
On average, how many days per week do you engage in physical exercise?
- Never7.5%
- Less than once a week16.7%
- Once a week15.2%
- Several times a week31.8%
- Nearly every day19%
- Every day9.8%
Relationship Status
What is your current relationship status?
- Single, but interested in a relationship39.4%
- Single and not interested in a relationship22%
- In a committed relationship18.3%
- Married10.2%
- Dating, but not in a committed relationship5.1%
- Unsure3.4%
- Divorced1.6%
About this data
Method and provenance
Source
Cygnal, "Survey of General Population Young Men — National", fielded October 22–26, 2025 for The Lafayette Company. n=1,000, margin of error ±3.01%.
Coverage
All 22 topline questions are published above. Other questions and crosstabs can be found in the Cygnal deck below.
Reuse
Every figure is a public statistic from a published poll. Cite as "Cygnal / The Lafayette Company, October 2025".