Gen Z men were more likely to change how abortion was likely to impact their vote after hearing from people affected by bans than older men, new polling found. 

The polling from the advocacy group Abortion in America, first shared first with The 19th, could suggest a new approach for abortion rights supporters and Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

“What’s true for Gen Z men is true across the board: By enormous margins they don’t want to hear from politicians about abortion. They want to hear from people like them,” said Lauren Collins Peterson, the CEO of Abortion in America. “One of the things the data underscored is that abortion is an issue we can be and should be and need to be talking about if we hope Gen Z men will understand the stakes in the upcoming election and understand the stakes for reproductive health. We have to be talking about it in terms they can relate to.”

The share of men from ages 18 to 29 who said abortion would matter a great deal in shaping their vote increased by 12 points after they saw video testimony from people who were personally impacted by an abortion ban. For men ages 29 through 54 and those who were 55 and older, hearing directly from people affected by bans resulted in a 5 point increase in the same category. Already, Gen Z men were more likely to say abortion mattered in shaping their vote, with 41 percent saying so compared to only 26 percent of men 55 and older. 

The findings suggest that young men, despite swinging toward President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, are still receptive to messages about abortion and can be compelled to prioritize it as an issue, said Molly Murphy, president at Impact Research, a Democratic public opinion research company that conducted this polling.

“What’s affirming is that their belief in legal abortion rights means they can be activated and mobilized when engaged in the right way,” said Murphy, who has also done extensive polling on abortion and reproductive rights.

The debate over abortion rights shaped the 2024 campaign, with former Vice President Kamala Harris building her bid around the issue of reproductive freedom. But Trump’s victory has led lawmakers and activists across the political spectrum to suggest that abortion may no longer be a top issue for Democrats, and that if anything, it may be of greater concern for conservatives who oppose abortion rights. In fact, a recent poll from The 19th and SurveyMonkey found that the most motivated abortion voters are now those who oppose abortion rights — a reversal from a year ago.

In a recent interview, New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill said that abortion was no longer a “first-tier issue.” SBA Pro-Life America, a national anti-abortion organization, announced this week it will be investing $80 million in Senate campaigns next fall, an effort to mobilize anti-abortion voters.

Hearing directly from people who have experienced abortion bans, Murphy said, can make the issue of abortion bans feel more urgent — and as if it is something that could affect them personally.

“People don’t feel like the rules are about to change. They feel like it’s relatively accessible if they need it. These stories poke at that and say it’s not the case,” she said. “We don’t need to persuade people abortion’s important. They just don’t believe it’s under threat.”

Beyond polling, Murphy’s organization conducted focus groups with Gen Z men, gauging their reactions to videos from people who had firsthand experience with abortion bans. Across the board, she said, respondents reacted strongly to those videos — but especially to those featuring men. 

“It’s important for men to see themselves in these stories,” she said. “We say that all the time for women. Why wouldn’t that be true for men?”

One video included Hope Ngumezi, a man from Texas whose wife died after experiencing a miscarriage when the state’s abortion ban resulted in delayed medical care. 

Ngumezi, a father of two, has talked publicly about his experience: His wife, Porsha, began experiencing spotting while they were on a family vacation in Austin. When her symptoms didn’t abate, they raced back to Houston to seek medical care for her. He spent the night with her in the hospital while a relative cared for children at home. Despite experiencing heavy bleeding that ultimately required two blood transfusions, Porsha never received a dilation and curettage, a standard form of treatment for miscarriage that is also used for abortions. 

“I lost my wife. I was impacted by the policies in the most horrible tragic way, and it is heavy. It is tough. But I have a purpose,” Ngumezi said. “In order for me to give Porsha justice, I can’t stay silent.”

After sharing his experience, Ngumezi said he heard from many other men, asking their advice about navigating pregnancies in Texas. He believes his story resonates because it’s something other men realize could happen to them. 

“I’m coming with my own personal story,” he said. “I could tell you this is how these abortion laws affected my life, and you can’t argue that it’s something that’s real, something that you can look it up and you’ll see the facts of what happened. I think that’s why it holds more weight.”