Young viewers of movies and television shows want to see male characters moving away from “isolation and other masculine stereotypes and towards vulnerability and connection,” according to a UCLA study released Wednesday.
The university’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers inserted “targeted questions” into its annual 2025 Teens & Screens survey, which questioned 1,500 adolescents nationwide ages 10 to 24. The results were released Wednesday in a study titled “Gen Alpha and Gen Z: Evolving Masculinity.”
“Our findings reveal a profound cultural shift: Youth are craving a version of masculinity defined by emotional availability and joyful connection,” said Yalda Uhls, the study’s senior author and founder and CEO of CSS.
“By highlighting these narratives of partnership and care, storytellers can offer a vision of masculinity rooted in hope and love. For today’s young audiences, the most compelling hero isn’t the one standing alone, but the one who has the courage to be present.”
Uhls is an adjunct professor in UCLA’s psychology department.
Among the study’s key findings:
— Gen Z and Gen Alpha want to see caring, affectionate dads and men showing vulnerability in movies and TV, rejecting “outdated” masculine stereotypes.
— Joyful fatherhood was the single most requested portrayal of masculinity by adolescents surveyed by the researchers, with nearly 60% of young people asking to see more fathers openly showing love and enjoying parenting.
— 46% of respondents are seeking content that shows men asking for help, including with their mental health.
The study’s authors said the latest research “underscores CSS’ long-standing commitment to helping content creators re-imagine the on-screen representation of boys and men. In 2020, CSS released a foundational tip sheet for storytellers that has since moved from research labs into writers’ rooms, directly influencing television production.”
The study can be found at scholarsandstorytellers.com/evolvingmasculinity.