Project Ibasho
Why It Matters
Understanding the Relational Crisis
Harvard’s almost 90-year study asks three questions: What leads to physical health, mental health, and longevity? Only one factor correlates with all three: meaningful relationships.
And yet society tells boys and young men that to be a man they must suppress their emotions, be dominant, and be hyper-independent. Around age four, boys may internalize these messages and — in an effort to connect — adopt behaviors that lead to disconnection.
When some boys realize they cannot meet society’s standards of manhood, they put on a mask and act like they don’t care. In 2025, over half of men surveyed agreed with the statement, “No one knows the real me.”
Equimundo, State of American Men, 2025
These societal messages around masculinity are not new. But what is new is that social media amplifies these messages and pushes this content into the social media feeds of boys and young men. Boys and young men receive one set of messages. Girls and young women receive another. The divide grows wider. Gender polarization deepens. And that polarization weakens the health of our democracy.
The Four Areas
Project Ibasho is working to create a comprehensive map of the landscape of the crisis of boys and young men to help people understand the big picture. We are also working to identify the upstream root causes of the crisis so that decision-makers can invest resources in addressing causes and not just symptoms.
Boys and young men are struggling in four interconnected areas: relationships, mental health, education, and work and purpose. These challenges are real, measurable, and growing.
01
Relationships
Gallup, 2025
1 in 4 American men under 35 report feeling lonely — the highest of any demographic group in the U.S.
02
Mental Health
CDC, 2023
~80% of suicides are male, despite men making up only 50% of the population.
03
Education
NCES, 2023
42% of bachelor’s degrees are earned by men — down from 57% in 1970.
04
Work & Purpose
Pew Research Center, 2024
Labor force participation among young men without a college degree has fallen from 98% in 1970 to 89% today.
Sources
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Gallup World Poll. “Younger Men in the U.S. Among the Loneliest in West.” 2023–2024.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide Data and Statistics. 2023.
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National Center for Education Statistics. Degrees of Difference: Male College Enrollment and Completion. 2023.
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Pew Research Center. Job Market and Economic Trends for Young Adults by Gender and Education. 2024.
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Harvard Study of Adult Development. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, The Good Life. 2023.
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Equimundo. State of American Men 2025.