More young men look up to Obama than a religious leader and 12% have been incarcerated — what explains the massive male malaise?

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 16, 2026 · 986 words · By Joseph E Davis

Crisis of Masculinity Societal Deinstitutionalization youth mental health

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What to know about Crisis of Masculinity

Nypost reports: More young men look up to Obama than a religious leader and 12% have been incarcerated — what explains the massive male malaise?.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Nypost reports: More young men look up to Obama than a religious leader and 12% have been incarcerated — what explains the massive male malaise?.

Why it matters

See more of our coverage in your search results.

Common ground

Add The New York Post on Google The common narrative about the troubles facing young men goes like this: A growing number are failing in school, not working or studying, not dating or forming families and not leaving their childhood bedrooms.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Crisis of Masculinity story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that We discovered that 23% of young men gamble daily?
How does this story connect Crisis of Masculinity with Societal Deinstitutionalization over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/opinion/what-explains-the-massive-malaise-among-am…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 60% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “We discovered that 23% of young men gamble daily”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources confirm that 23% of young men in the survey reported gambling daily.

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web search NEUTRAL — For 23% of Young US Men, Gambling Is a Daily Habit. Nearly one in four American men under 30 say they gamble every day, according to new survey data. Frequent betting also appears alongside higher lev…
https://15m.com/news/for-23-of-young-us-men-gambling-is-a-da…

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web search NEUTRAL — In The News. young-men-who-trade-stocks-daily-feel-like-failures.The findings were strikingly similar to outcomes among men who gamble: Of the 23% of young men who said they gambled daily, including o…
https://ifstudies.org/in-the-news/young-men-who-trade-stocks…

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web search NEUTRAL — Online gambling likewise proved widespread, with 23% gambling daily and another 12% doing so several times a week. Toscano said these behaviors appear to function as what the report calls “maladaptive…
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-study-finds-many-young-men-feel-l…

schedule

Claim 2: “More young men said they looked up to these two than said they looked up to a religious leader (46%).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 3: “12% of our young men reported that they’d been incarcerated at some point.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists only of general definitions of the number 12 and contains no information regarding incarceration rates in the survey.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — There are twelve hours in a half day, numbered one to twelve for both the ante meridiem (a.m.) and the post meridiem (p.m.). 12:00 p.m. is midday or noon, and 12:00 a.m. is midnight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_(number)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mathematics Twelve is the first abundant number. [1] Twelve is a composite number, meaning it is divisible by other numbers, not only 1 and itself. In Roman numerals 12 is written as XII.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_(number)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Toggle the table of contents 12
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12

schedule

Claim 4: “Andrew Tate came in at a worrying 31%.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 5: “Real wages for young men have stagnated in recent decades.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding Real Madrid and dictionary definitions of 'real', providing no data on wages.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 9th Airborne Division of the United States Army was a military deception created in 1944 as part of Fortitude South II It was initially depicted as being under the direct command of Fourteenth Uni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_Airborne_Division_(United_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As of September 1, 2026, a total of 41 people are scheduled to be executed in the United States. All of these executions are scheduled over five calendar years in eight U.S. states. Additionally, ther…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_scheduled_to_be…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “My peers and I at the Institute of Family Studies surveyed 2,000 young men”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that the Institute for Family Studies conducted a YouGov survey of 2,000 men aged 18-29.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is an Australian Government statutory agency in the Department of Social Services. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its role is to con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Institute_of_Family…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (French: Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, abbreviated IHEID), commonly referred to as the Geneva Graduate …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Graduate_Institute

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is a center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry, designed and funded by the U.S. Government, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Advanced_Study

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 7: “when it comes to those they looked up to, mothers (79%) and fathers (69%) led by a wide margin.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

help

Claim 8: “a large majority of men (73%) believe that in recent decades it has become harder to know what it is to be a man.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

help

Claim 9: “27% watch porn daily.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states 27% watch porn daily. However, the provided evidence from a study on the same demographic states that 'one in six (16%)' do so daily, which directly contradicts the 27% figure.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — • 7:09. Top 10 Italian Older Woman - Younger Man Romance MoviesBendasTV166K views • 1 year agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+).Top 10 Older Man - Younger Woman Relationship Movies. by BendasTV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w245mij1v8

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The survey found that 61% of young men often feel they have little control over what happens to them, while 54% said they never seem to do enough to please others.
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-study-finds-many-young-men-feel-l…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Many young men are frequent users, with over half (54.4%) using pornography at least weekly and one in six (16%) doing so daily. On the other hand, only about one in seven young women (14.3%) use porn…
https://www.theaustraliatoday.com.au/by-the-time-they-are-20…

verified

Claim 10: “only about 60% of our respondents report a consistently present father.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided contains general discussions on fatherhood and unrelated Wikipedia entries, but no specific data from the IFS survey regarding the 60% figure for present fathers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Approximately Infinite Universe is the third solo album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973 on Apple Records. A double album, it represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximately_Infinite_Univers…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An approximation is anything that is intentionally similar but not exactly equal to something else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximation

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In computational learning theory, probably approximately correct (PAC) learning is a framework for mathematical analysis of machine learning. It was proposed in 1984 by Leslie Valiant. In this framewo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probably_approximately_correct…

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “the most commonly cited celebrity role models were Barack Obama (54%) and Lebron James (54%).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 12: “43% of young men agreed with the appraisal “I am inclined to think I am a failure.””

DISPUTED

While The Daily Caller reports that 43% of young men say they are inclined to think of themselves as failures, IBTimes reports that 64% of young men in the same survey felt like failures. These figures directly contradict each other.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Institute for Community Studies at The Young Foundation is a British non-profit research institute that works with communities, organisations, and policymakers to effect social change. It was foun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Community_Studie…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 13: “More than 60% said they feel they have little control over the things that happen to them.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source ('Study finds many young men feel lonely...') mentions that 61% of young men often feel they have little control over what happens to them, which aligns with the 'more than 60%' claim, but no other independent source corroborates this specific statistic.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Over may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Over There" is a 1917 war song written by George M. Cohan that was popular with the United States military and the American public during World War I and World War II. Written shortly after the Ameri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_There

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Over and Over may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_and_Over

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.