Cygnal for The Lafayette Company · Released November 3, 2025
The 2025 Survey
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 first Symposium on Young American Men.
1,000
Men surveyed
Aged 16 to 28, nationwide
57%
“Fair,” “poor,” or “very poor” mental health
Among all men
48%
Spend 5 hours or less per week with friends in person
“Low social”
50%
Spend 5+ hours online daily
Streaming, gaming, browsing, and using social media
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
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 and affiliations, not demographics
Age, race and party barely move whether respondents rated their own mental health “Excellent” or “Good.” How they truly spend their time is the deciding factor.
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.
How the time goes
Free time, before and after 18
Respondents picked the three activities they spend the most time on, so the columns add up to more than 100%.
18 and above
- Playing video games43.2%
- Browsing or posting on social media16.5%
- Watching TV, movies, or streaming content36.7%
- Online gambling or sports wagering8.3%
- Playing or watching sports15.1%
- Attending social events or hanging out with friends12.4%
- Spending time with family21.4%
- Participating in clubs or group activities4.1%
- Volunteering or community service4.8%
- Exercising or going to the gym19.3%
- Reading books, articles, or blogs7.6%
- Listening to music or podcasts26.1%
- Working on personal projects or hobbies (e.g., art, coding, writing)14.2%
- Studying or doing schoolwork8%
- Working a job or side hustle19%
- Unsure2.1%
Below 18
- Playing video games41.8%
- Browsing or posting on social media19%
- Watching TV, movies, or streaming content34.4%
- Playing or watching sports29.8%
- Attending social events or hanging out with friends9.7%
- Spending time with family16.8%
- Participating in clubs or group activities4%
- Volunteering or community service6.5%
- Exercising or going to the gym13.1%
- Reading books, articles, or blogs4%
- Listening to music or podcasts38.8%
- Working on personal projects or hobbies (e.g., art, coding, writing)36%
- Studying or doing schoolwork7.1%
- Working a job or side hustle17.9%
- Unsure0.6%
Question asked: “How do you typically spend your free time? Select the three activities you do most often or spend the most time on.” · Cygnal deck p.35. The deck reports no online gambling or sports wagering figure for respondents under 18. The under-18 group is a subset of the 233 respondents aged 16 to 18, so its margin of error is at least ±6.4 points against the survey’s ±3.01%.
Where the news comes from
Three platforms, not three networks
YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are the three most named primary news sources. No television category comes within 25 points of YouTube.
- YouTube44.5%
- TikTok35.4%
- Instagram29.4%
- Twitter / X19%
- National broadcast television news (i.e. NBC, ABC, CBS)17.2%
- Cable news (i.e. Fox News, MSNBC, CNN)15.3%
- Facebook14.8%
- Streaming app(s) (i.e. YouTube TV, Hulu)14.4%
- Local broadcast television news10.1%
- AI, like ChatGPT7.6%
- Podcasts6.3%
- Newspaper5.8%
- Talk radio3.2%
- Other websites8.7%
- Unsure5.1%
Question asked: “What are your primary sources for news? Select up to three options.” · Cygnal deck p.49
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".