[Hook & Introduction]
Fellas — I need to show you something that hit me hard this week.
There's a 74-page report that just dropped from the Institute for Family Studies.
And one number in it stopped me cold.
FORTY-SIX PERCENT.
Nearly HALF of all American young men between 18 and 23 years old say they feel like a failure.
Not struggling. Not going through a rough patch.
They used the word FAILURE to describe themselves.
Now here's the part that makes it even more haunting.
59% of them aren't even in a romantic relationship right now.
They're not out there losing at dating. They haven't even gotten to the starting line.
And the men who are supposed to be speaking for them — the Andrew Tates of the world?
DEAD LAST on the role model list.
Not exaggerating. LAST.
This is our story this morning. And if you are a dad, an uncle, a coach, a mentor, or just a man who gives a damn about the next generation —
this report is for YOU.
[Why It Matters]
Here's the stat that should shake every man in this room awake.
The Institute for Family Studies surveyed 2,000 young men ages 18 to 29 — a nationally representative sample conducted by YouGov.
They used the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale — one of the most rigorously validated psychological tools in social science.
The question was simple: "All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure."
46% of men ages 18 to 23 said: YES. That describes me.
38% of men ages 24 to 29 said the same.
And only 32% of all young men ages 18 to 29 REJECT that idea about themselves.
Let that land for a second.
TWO THIRDS of young American men don't feel confident saying they're NOT failures.
But here's what the report actually says — and this is the key.
These aren't checked-out guys. These aren't guys who gave up.
The IFS researchers put it this way: "What stood out was not indifference or a lack of worthy aspirations — but the trying circumstances facing today's young men."
Their hopes are being FRUSTRATED. That's different from giving up.
And that distinction? That's everything.
[5 Conversation Starters]
Number 1.
The "failure" feeling is directly tied to economic reality — not attitude.
According to the Institute for Family Studies report, 15% of these young men are currently unemployed — far above the national average.
And when asked their BIGGEST life challenge so far? Money and finding a good job — by a wide margin.
The report found that the biggest obstacle to adulthood isn't laziness. It's LOW WAGES that make financial independence feel impossible.
Number 2.
Marriage isn't dead to these guys — it's DELAYED.
68% of unmarried young men say they WANT to get married someday.
82% say they want children.
But 44% say they're holding off because they don't have a stable job. 33% say they lack financial stability.
According to Religion Unplugged's reporting on the IFS study, the goal hasn't changed — the runway to get there has gotten a lot longer and a lot more expensive.
Number 3.
What they think about masculinity DESTROYS the manosphere narrative.
89% of young men agree: being a man requires a willingness to sacrifice for others.
85% agree: manhood involves strength, responsibility, and leadership.
70% say society portrays masculinity negatively — and yet THEIR OWN definition of manhood is traditional, noble, and grounded.
These guys are not who the internet says they are.
Number 4.
Their role models tell you EVERYTHING.
Asked who they most look up to — young men ranked MOTHERS first at 79%.
FATHERS second at 69%.
Coaches and teachers third at 57%.
Among public figures? Barack Obama ranked FIRST.
Andrew Tate ranked DEAD LAST.
The IFS report put it plainly: "The most admired role model was former president Barack Obama, whereas the least was online influencer Andrew Tate."
The guys the manosphere says are obsessed with Tate? They can't stand him.
Number 5.
Married men are TWICE as likely to feel like adults.
54% of married young men say they "definitely" feel like they've reached adulthood.
That drops to 26% for unmarried men.
According to the IFS findings, structure and connection — not wealth or status — are what make young men feel like they've made it.
[Context & Key Insights]
Let me give you the full picture here, because this story is more complex — and more hopeful — than the headline suggests.
This is a 74-page report titled "America's Demoralized Men, Part 1: Worthy Aspirations, Trying Circumstances."
Published in March 2026 by the Institute for Family Studies, written by Joseph E. Davis, Michael Toscano, and Ken Burchfiel.
This is NOT a political document. It's not partisan. It's serious social science.
And here's what they found underneath the failure numbers.
The adulthood goalposts have MOVED.
Back in 2002, 65% of young men said completing your education was essential to becoming an adult.
Today? 31%.
Finishing school used to be THE marker. Now it barely cracks the top three.
What's replaced it? Personal independence and financial independence — cited by 51% and 53% respectively.
But here's the painful paradox the researchers identified.
Young men changed WHAT they use to define adulthood — but their sense of FEELING like an adult is still tied to the OLD markers.
Getting married. Having kids. Working full time. Going to trade school or college.
The men who hit those old benchmarks? They feel like adults.
The men who haven't? They feel stuck in between — and that in-between feeling is BRUTAL.
There's another number I want you to sit with.
Even among men ages 24 to 29 — mid-to-late twenties — less than HALF, only 41%, say they "definitely" feel like adults.
And 12% of these young men have been incarcerated at some point.
The IFS report also confirmed what CNBC has been reporting on for months — that young adults are leaning on parents financially at rates we haven't seen in generations, largely because of economic pressure.
Now — here is the single MOST HOPEFUL data point in this entire report.
Young men who are unemployed and not looking for work?
Just TWO PERCENT.
Just 2% of young men have checked out entirely.
The other 98% either have a job, are in school, or are ACTIVELY looking for work.
These guys are not lazy. They are not broken. They are navigating a genuinely difficult environment — and most of them are still trying.
[Practical Takeaway]
So what do we DO with this?
Because this is a live morning show — we're not here to feel bad and move on.
We're here to have REAL conversations that change something.
And fellas, the data just told us exactly what these young men need.
Look at those role model numbers again.
Mothers: 79%. Fathers: 69%. Coaches and teachers: 57%.
The influencers? The internet personalities? The guys making millions telling young men how to be men?
BOTTOM of the list.
You know what that means?
YOU. You are the role model these young men actually want.
Not Andrew Tate. Not a podcast host. YOU — the dad at the dinner table, the uncle who calls, the coach who shows up, the mentor who makes time.
Here is the most practical thing you can do today:
REACH OUT TO A YOUNG MAN IN YOUR LIFE.
Not with advice. Not with a lecture. Just reach out.
Ask him what he's working on. Ask him what's hard right now. Tell him you see him.
Because the report says the biggest driver of demoralization is NOT failure — it's ISOLATION.
Young men who have structure, connection, and someone who believes in them?
They're twice as likely to feel like adults.
TWICE.
And if you ARE that young man — if you're watching this and the number 46% felt personal —
We see you. You are not a failure. You are in a hard season in a hard economy with a society that hasn't built enough pathways for you.
But the data also says: 89% of your generation believes in sacrifice. 85% believe in responsibility and leadership.
That's YOUR definition of manhood. Nobody can take that from you.
Keep showing up.
[Audience Reflection]
I want to leave you with a question to carry into your day.
Is there a young man in your life — a son, a nephew, a neighbor, a player, a student —
who might be carrying that "failure" feeling right now?
And when's the last time YOU reached out to him?
Not to fix him. Just to be present.
Because the data says your presence is the most powerful thing in the world to him.
More powerful than any influencer. More powerful than any algorithm.
More powerful than Andrew Tate ever was or ever will be.
[Community Engagement]
Drop this in the comments and let's talk:
Who was YOUR most important male role model growing up?
Was it a parent? A coach? A teacher? A mentor?
And are you BEING that for someone right now?
Share this with a dad, an uncle, a coach — anyone who needs to hear that their presence matters more than they know.
This is the conversation that NEEDS to happen. Right now. Today.
Tag that person.
[Empowering Close]
Here's what I want you to walk away knowing.
The manosphere has been selling young men a story — that they're victims of a rigged system, that society hates them, that women are the enemy, that rage is the answer.
And yet, when researchers actually SIT DOWN with 2,000 young men and ask them who they admire?
They say their mom.
They say their dad.
They say their coach.
They say Barack Obama.
They ranked Andrew Tate LAST.
Young men are not who the internet says they are.
They believe in sacrifice, responsibility, and showing up for others.
They want to get married. They want to be fathers. They want meaningful work.
The IFS researchers said it best: "Their ambiguous and socially marginal position is taking a heavy toll on them."
But heavy tolls are not permanent.
And the antidote — the research is CLEAR on this — is CONNECTION.
Is presence.
Is someone like YOU saying: I see you, I believe in you, and you are not alone.
That's not a therapy program. That's not a government initiative.
That's a daily accountability partner.
That's men's conversations that actually matter.
That's what MiTL is built for.
Start your day right, men.
Let's go be the role models they're already looking for.
[Keyword Integration]
This is your live morning show for real talk backed by real science.
Daily morning motivation rooted in data, not hype.
We're here for the men's conversations that change lives — informative conversations, entertaining conversation, the kind that makes you a better man and a better mentor.
Your daily accountability partner — morning accountability partner — doesn't just pump you up.
It challenges you to actually DO something.
Fitness, healthy lifestyle, business, technology, AI — all of it connects to THIS.
Because if the next generation of men is struggling, it's on US to show up.
Start your day right men.
This is bapl. This is MiTL. Show #3007.
Let's move.